Silent
by Smart Angel
Summary: Anna waited. And waited and waited and waited. They never called back. She never heard from them again. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

"Pirika-san called you yesterday." The voice of the driver broke the silence in the car, taking the blonde girl out of her thoughts.

"I see." Was the only answer the driver got. Not that he expected anything else coming from his young mistress.

"She invited you to come with her to the movies. They are going to see that new romance." He took a look in the mirror and let out a low sigh. The young teenage girl was looking outside the widow, her expression emotionless. Just like she always was.

"I'm not interstate in seeing any movie with Pirika, Amidamaru." Her voice was in an even tone. She didn't even bother looking at Amidamaru when talking. "Much less a romance movie."

"Well, if you don't mind me saying Anna-sama, I think you should go." Anna couldn't help but looking at him at that moment. Didn't he already know she didn't want to go? Haven't they gone through situations like this before? And her answer was always no. What made him think this time was going to be different? "It's been 4 years since we moved here to Tokio, Anna-sama, and you still haven't made any friends. Now that I think about it, you also didn't have any friends in Kyoto either."

"That's because I don't need any friends." _The only friends I need are far away and probably don't remember me. _But that she didn't say out loud.

"But Anna-sama…"

"I appreciate what you and all the other are trying to do Amidamaru. You all take very good care of me." _That's more than what I can say about my real parents. _"But I don't need… Let me rephrase it. I don't _want_ any friends. I'm fine the way I am right now."

"I still think you should go Anna-sama." He wasn't going to give up that easy. When she realized that Anna couldn't do anything more than role her ways and wait for the long speech she already heard many times before. The speech about how Pirika and the other have been trying to be friends for years now and that she should give them a chance, that she would never see if they were nice if she didn't get to know them and that maybe they would be yadda, yadda yadda…She usually stopped listening after this part.

"So I really think you should go with Pirika and her friends." Anna looked at her watch. He made the speech in less than 5 minutes? Impressive.

"You said only Pirika was going." Anna than realized he was keeping something from her.

"Well…"

"Who else is going?" she was now angry. And you don't want to get to Anna's bad side. How dare he keep a secret from her?

"Pirika-san's older brother, Horo-Horo-san, Ren-san, Lyserg-san and Chocolove-san, Manta-san…." He hesitated for a second "And Tamao Tamamura-san."

"And you really expected me to go?" it was a rhetorical question. "Even if I was considering going, I would have turned around when I saw _her_ face." Disgust was very obvious in her voice.

"Anna-sama, that happened long ago, when you both were little kids." Amidamaru had let out another sigh " Don't you think is time to let it go and be friends?"

"Once a love rival you can never be friends." Her answer was cold.

"Love rival?" Amidamaru chuckled "She never even had a chance."

"I know that." Nothing could have stopped Anna from smiling at _that_ memory.

Kyouyama Anna was the only daughter of a very rich couple. She was born in Aomori. At the age of 3 she moved to Izumo with her parents. Seven years later she moved to Kyoto. And now at 17 she was in Tokio, where her parents promised they would stay until she finished high school.

Anna was your typical rich girl character in a romance story. Lonely, no friends, parents who couldn't care less. At school most people only wanted to get close to her because of her money. Boys asked her out only because she was pretty. No one ever bothered to get to know the real Anna, and that made her bitter and cold.

But she wasn't always like that. While living in Izumo Anna had two friends. The only two friends she ever had. They were twins, and the three of them were inseparable.

Yoh and Hao were very weird when she met them. The memory still brought a smile to her face. No one ever talked to them and they never talked to anyone. When you watched from a distance you would see Hao and Yoh playing, smiling and laughing. Hao would often tease Yoh and Yoh would complain. Then if anyone tried to talk to them they would both look at the intruder, with expressionless eyes, answer whatever the question was, in unity, and then go back to what they were doing. Very weird.

Anna was the first one to get close to them. It was her first day at preschool and she saw the two of them playing with some blocks. She wanted to play with it and then simply sited down and started to play, without even looking at them.

They were both surprised by her action. No one ever did such a thing. All the kids were too freaked out by their actions. Hao was the one who protested, while Yoh just kept staring at her, surprised. Soon Hao and Anna were in a big argument.

The fight was broken by Yoh's laughter.

It was such a great sound. Yoh's laughter made both of them stop. Hao looked shocked at his brother, later she found out because it was the first time someone else besides Hao made Yoh laugh. And Anna looked angry. How dare that… That… That weirdo laugh at her?

She started yelling at him, and Hao laughed. So Anna started yelling at him. But even thought they didn't started well, they spent the rest of the day together. And on the next day, Anna walked straight to them.

And that's how it started. That's how she made her first and only friends. Now the memory was blurry and she could hardly remember how long the fight lasted before Yoh started laughing. With age your memories start to fade away. At least that was what the maids told Anna 10 years ago when she asked why she couldn't remember her third birthday. It made Anna upset. She didn't want to forget Hao or Yoh. She couldn't forget them! So every night Anna would relieve that moment again and again in her mind, making it impossible to forget. This way if the memories got blurry, at the very least she would still remember how it happened, even if not in details.

"We are here Anna-sama." Amidamaru's voice made Anna come back to reality. Back from her pleasant and warm memory to cold reality.

Letting out a sigh Anna started to get ready. Her school dress code was very strict. Green skirt, black socks, brown shoes, white shirt and a red necktie. Your typical Japanese sailor uniform. And no accessories allowed. So Anna, who always wearing a red scarf around her head and a blue sacred necklace, had to take out all of it before stepping out of the car.

First the red scarf. It was a present for her 5 birthday, from Yoh. He didn't have money to buy her anything else, so he gave her that scarf. He said he thought it would look nice with her blond hair. Of course at the time it was too big for Anna's head, so she just kept in her room. Now that she is older, she uses it every day.

The sacred necklace was also a present. The Asakura Family followed a religion that Anna, been born in a family who couldn't care less about religion, didn't know much about at the time. Yoh and Hao's family was made up of 4 priests, and the twins had to follow strict spiritual training every day. The necklace was a present that Kino, their grandmother, gave Anna. And Anna had added a special item to the necklace. Around the, what Anna used to call back when she first received the necklace, pompom thingy was a small plastic ring.

She couldn't help but smile as she saw the ring. The training Yoh and Hao had to endure was severe, and Hao, being the most talented of the two, had to do even more extra training. SO Yoh and Anna became really close. While Hao was training, they would always play together.

And then, when they were 6, Yoh proposed. Okay, maybe Anna forced him to propose. But still, proposing is proposing. Even back then Anna knew what she felt for Yoh was special. She knew it was different than what she felt for Hao. And one day, while talking to one of the maids at her mansion, she found out what she wanted. She wanted Yoh to be with no one but her.

Her maid was explaining to her about a commercial Anna saw on TV. A guy kneeling on the floor and giving a woman a ring. And her maid explained to young Anna that that's what people do when they love each other, and want to spend the rest of their lives together. That once they get engaged, and then married, they are bound to each other until death. And that no one could break that bound, and they should stay by each other's side and no one else's.

And that's when Anna decided to make Yoh propose to her. She wanted Yoh to be by her side for ever, to never leave. And she despised the idea of any other girls even coming to close to _her_ Yoh. And the idea itself was nice. _Her Yoh_.

So the next day, while playing at the park, Anna made Yoh by two rings with the quarters he had. It took a while for the rings to come out, but after they did, Yoh did as he was told and proposed to Anna. Of course, at the time neither Yoh nor Anna knew what really meant to be engaged to someone. Anna just thought it was a way to make sure her Yoh would stay by her side… Forever.

And now that the ring was too big for her finger she made it so it could be in her necklace.

Not that that proposal still counted. But Yoh was Anna's first love. Well, she believe it was love. She can't exactly remember if she was in love or not. Anna only knows that what she felt for Yoh was different than what she felt for Hao. And that she didn't want any other girl close to Yoh. No, Yoh was hers and they would be together forever.

So I guess that's love, right?

"I'll see you after school Amidamaru." With that Anna closed the door of the car and left.

It wasn't long before someone was calling her name.

"Anna-san!! Anna-san!!!" called a very high feminine voice that Anna knew well. A voice that belonged to someone who even after… How long was it? 4 years? Hadn't given up in trying being friends.

"Hello Pirika." Anna said, not as polite. She turned around and saw the group that was always talking to her. Lyserg, Chocolove, Horo-Horo, Ren, Manta, Pirika and Tamao.

"Anna-san, I was wondering, would you like to go to the movies with us?" She couldn't believe her years. Why the hell was the girl asking the same question she asked the day before on the phone? Why can't she just get that Anna does not need any friends? The person who said blonds were stupid was dead wrong. Apparently having blue hair is what affects your IQ the most. That sure explains the Usui siblings. After school Anna would write to whoever stated with the blond jokes and tell him that people with blue hair are the ones who have a tendency to do and say stupid things.

"I can't, I have plans." Of course, a lie. They just came so naturally Anna didn't even have to think about them.

"What plans?" asked Lyserg, with his accent. He was from England, therefore, even thought his Japanese was very good and he always spoke in the most polite way possible, he still had some difficulties mastering the pronounciation.

"I'm going to Izumo."

"Are you… Going to visit Yoh-sama and Hao-sama?" Now that was a surprise. Of course Anna should have said Kyoto instead of Izumo. What was she thinking? With Tamao right by her side?

The Tamamuras used to live in the same neighborhood as the Asakuras when Anna still lived in Izumo. Tamao was the only daughter, and she was painfully shy. The girl turned red every time someone who she wasn't very familiar with talked to her, and then she had a hard time forming sentences. And, of course, she was in love with Yoh.

She was 3 years younger, so when Anna first started to notice the affection, she had been engaged to Yoh for 3 years. And Yoh was always so nice to this little shy girl. Anna just couldn't take it. Every time she saw Yoh talking to Tamao she would make up an excuse to take Yoh away from Tamao. It was just so annoying. Yoh knew he belonged to Anna and Anna alone. And even if Anna knew for sure that Yoh would never, in a million years, leave her that didn't mean she liked having girls who were cute and head over heels in love with him hanging around him 24 hours a day.

And Tamao was never really too fond of Anna. Because Anna was always taking Yoh away, Tamao never really got a chance to talk to him for more than 5 minutes. She wanted to get to know Yoh and to maybe try to make him like him so they could hold hands, but Anna just kept interrupting. And Tamao wasn't the type to fight back or hate someone. Instead she just cried and grew a little scared of Anna.

They were love rivals. And for some reasons, even if Yoh wasn't with them anymore, Anna still couldn't stand Tamao.

"Yes." Yet another line. Anna hasn't been able to talk with the Asakura twins for years. But is not like Tamao knows that, so what's the harm in telling a little lie? Is not like she is doing it so she could rob a bank.

7 years, actually. Her first 3 years in Aomori, then 7 years in Izumo. 10 when she moved to Kyoto, and then when she was 13 she moved to Tokyo. And for the first 6 months she still talked to the twins every day on the phone. But one day she called late, and they didn't answer. The next day she tried again. And Again, they didn't answer. She tried for a week and no one answered until finally Hao picked up.

And when she asked if she could talk to Yoh, Hao answered in a very weird voice:

"_No. You can't talk to him. And I can't talk to you either Anna. We'll call when we can." _

And hung up.

Anna waited. And waited and waited and waited. They never called back. She never heard from them again.

"I'm so happy you three are still friends." Tamao said, still smiling "You were so close when we were kids and…"

Tamao didn't have the chance to finish what she was going to say because the school bell rang. Not that Anna cared. She was trying to think of a way to get out of there without being very rude. Not that she cared about the girls feelings. If it was up to Anna she would just ignore this group and go on with her life. But Amidamaru always gave her a lecture when she was rude to people. And it was annoying. No matter how many times she ordered him to shut up he would just go on. So to save herself from another tedious lecture, she would just try to be less rude.

She entered her classroom and sat down on her usual sit. Last one on the row by the window. The seat next to hers was empty. Each classroom had 40 seats, and the homeroom teachers could chose how they wanted to organize their classroom. Anna's teacher, Silva-sensei, decided to make the 4 rows with 5 pairs. Anna's class had an odd amount of students, so the one seat paired up with hers was always empty.

Again, not that she cared. Most of the people in her class were morons. She rather be alone, looking out the window.

"Class, I have an announcement." Called Silva-sensei. When no one stopped what they were doing, he let his piles of books fall down on his desk, making a loud noise. When everyone went to their seats and Silva-sensei had their attention, he continued.

"I have an announcement." Yes, Anna knew that. She heard him the first time. Why can't that stupid teacher get straight to the point? "I am happy to tell all of you, students of 2A, that today" how many days of detention could Anna get for hitting a teacher? "we will have the pleasure of increasing" maybe not hitting him. If she could just get something really hard and aim at his head, then throw it, no one would be able to prove it was her, right? "our class. We have two new students, transferring from Izumo. Please welcome, Asakura Hao and Asakura Yoh."


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Asakura Hao and Asakura Yoh. Had she heard it right? Did Silva-sensei said Asakura Hao and Asakura Yoh? Her childhood friends? The only friends she ever had? They had transferred to her school?!

Anna clearly wasn't the only one surprised. Everyone in the class started whispering. New Students in the middle of the school year. That was unusual. And twins! Twins transferring to their school from Izumo in the middle of the year! They would be subject of gossip on the entire school.

But Anna didn't care. Yoh and Hao. They were here. They were back. Finally! The three of them together again! She couldn't help but smile at the thought. They were back. After 7 years without talking to each other, they would become friends again.

And she would finally be able to beat the crap out of the two of them for never calling her back. Oh yes… Revenge is going to be sweet. They will learn a lesson.

"Do you have any questions for our two students?" asked Silva-sensei, trying to make the two new students feel less uncomfortable. It was true, her classmates were being quiet rude. It was obvious the two of them were a bit uncomfortable, especially the one with short hair, which Anna suspected was Yoh.

"Er… Which one is Yoh-san and which one is Hao-san?" asked a girl, who sat a few rows to the right of Anna.

"I'm Hao." Said the one with the long hair. Anna knew it. So Hao really did grow his hair like he wanted to. "This is Yoh, my younger brother."

Yoh smiled and waved his hand.

That was odd. Yoh and Hao looked different. Not only because they were older but… Something felt off. Hao and Yoh didn't look anything like. Not only because of the hair but… Yoh was much skinner and much paler than Hao. He also had circles under his eyes, which made him look extremely tired. Like he hadn't slept a minute in… 7 years.

And Hao, he looked… Well, how could you describe it? He looked confident, but at the same time like he didn't trust anyone. He smiled and answered all the questions, even the ones that were directed to Yoh. He was standing in front of Yoh, covering his right side, almost like he was shielding him from something dangerous. Even thought he smiled and was quiet charming, Anna knew Hao enough to know it was just an act.

She turned her attention back to Yoh, and noticed he wasn't smiling anymore. He was looking down, a bit tired.

After a bunch of stupid questions that Anna already knew most of the answer, Silva-sensei said it was time for the two of them to take their seats so he could start the class. That's when she realized. One of them had to seat by her side. One of her old best friends was going to seat by her side.

Now she would get her answers.

"Why don't you take the empty seat by Kyouyama-san, Yoh-san? And you can seat behind Yoh-san, Hao-san."

At her name Yoh looked up, surprised. Hao was also surprise, but he didn't show as much as Yoh. He started looking around the classroom until his eyes met Anna's. First she saw surprise. Okay, that was an understatement. Yoh was… How could she describe it? Beyond surprise, but not scared. Almost as if he had seen… Not a ghost, because Anna knows Yoh can see those, but something else. Like someone had told him that the tooth fairy existed and then she just pooped in front of him.

And then he was happy. She could see he wanted to open a big smile and run to her, but wouldn't do it because he knew she hated attention. Then Hao saw her and he was surprised. That look was priceless. Hao surprised. Anna felt it was one of those if only I had a camera moment.

"Kyouyama-san, raise your hand please." Silva-sensei called. Anna stood up and looked at both of them. The entire class was watching, but no one understood how meaningful that moment was. Yoh smiled and went to sit by her side, and Hao walked right behind him.

As soon as Yoh was by Anna's side, she steped on his feet, with a lot of strength. Hao looked at Anna like she was crazy, and Yoh looked like he wanted to scream. Anna's expression didn't change. She sat down, and soon after the twins did the same.

"What the hell was that for, Anna?" asked Hao in a whisper.

"That's for not calling me back that day." Anna answered, not turning her head, but looking at both of them by the side of her eyes. They both had exchanged looks when she said that, and they both looked sad. She could definitely tell something was up.

"If we had met on the streets you two would be in the hospital by now." She continued "As soon as break starts, I want answers."

They just exchanged looks and started listening to the teacher.

Well, at least that's what they did at first. Yoh soon feel asleep and Hao started reading some book. Hao didn't bother Anna that much, but Yoh… Maybe bother wasn't the right word. She just… She didn't notice Hao reading, she was worried about Yoh.

He was tired, so she thought she would let him sleep until break. She was observing him and… (Yes, she was observing him. She was worried! Not because she thought he was kind of cute now that he was older! No, she was just worried about her childhood fiancée.) He kept moaning in his sleep. He looked like he was in pain. Anna knew he was having a nightmare. A terrible one. She tried waking him up, but his face twisted into a painful expression. She looked at Hao to ask him to wake his brother up, but the long haired twin only looked at his brother, with sad knowing eyes.

When the bell rang, Yoh woke up, his eyes wide. He looked like he was going to scream, but stopped himself. He looked at his twin, who smiled at him. Anna only watched them. They always were like that: Sharing each other's pain and understanding each other without even speaking. They were always together and knew everything about each other, almost as if they were the same person, but at the same time two individuals. Anna had already gotten used to that, but because of the nightmare Yoh seemed to be having, it looked somewhat like a strange behavior.

"You two have a lot of explaining to do." Anna said, as she got up and took out her bento.

"We have nothing to explain Anna." Hao answered, looking from Yoh to Anna. Then he smiled "But you are welcome to join us for lunch."

"I was planning to." Then she grabbed Yoh by the wrist, and started dragging him out of class "Let's go."

Yoh and Hao both needed to buy their lunch, so Anna showed them the cafeteria. She could feel everyone staring at the three of them. Anna knew exactly what they were thinking. Kyouyama Anna, the cold friendless rich snobby girl from 2A walking with the two new students? Was the world coming to an end?

"I'll buy us some lunch, and then we can eat." Hao said, leaving Yoh and Anna alone.

"This school is huge!" Yoh said, smiling "How long have you been in Tokyo, Anna-chan?"

"4 years." Anna answered, then she looked at Yoh "Why didn't you call me?"

"huh?" Yoh had a confused look on his face.

"Why didn't you call me? You promised me we were going to be in touch, and then you don't call me!" she grabbed his hair and started pulling down. Yoh started to wine and complain in pain "Do you have any idea how hurt I was? You two better have a really good reason to just stop calling me and not answer my cals!"

"Ouch, ouch! Anna, stop it! You are so cruel!" Yoh continued to cry, as if Anna had not asked anything "Let me go! You were always so mean!"

"Tell me why you stopped calling me and I let you go." She was angry.

"Sorry, I can't!!" Yoh continued to cry "Sorry Anna! Just let go!"

"What you mean you can't?" she let go now "What you mean you can't tell me? You better tell me! Why did you stop calling me?"

"Next question, please." Yoh said, trying to feel like the damage "You know, you're really strong. When we were kids I thought you had the strength of a monster or something… But it looks like you have that now."

"Are you calling me a monster?" she came close to his face, an angry look on her eyes.

"N-no ma'am." His voice shook a little.

"What were you dreaming about?" now her voice was soft, and her eyes showing a little bit of worry.

Yoh's expression also changed. It became completely blank, no traces of the fear that it carried sometime ago. And his eyes… There was a lot of guilt and sadness.

"Next Question."

They ate outside. Anna never liked to eat inside the building. It was always full of people, talking about Anna behind her back. She was the rich girl who everyone wanted to get close to. She was the girl who never let anyone talk to her. Today, with her giving attention to the new students… People didn't even tried to whisper or to hide their surprise. It was annoying. Anna was very close to just start punching everyone around her. She needed to stay away from all those people. She was always sensitive to people's thoughts and action.

So they chose to eat outside, by a big tree. Yoh and Anna sat side by side and Hao right in front of Yoh. Yoh had a notebook and a pencil, and he was doing something on that notebook that Anna didn't care much about right now. They were all talking and catching up. No, that wasn't the right word. Anna was saying what happened during the past 7 years, and Hao and Yoh just answered very simple, very stupid questions.

"So Tamao studies here?" Yoh asked surprised, taking his eyes off his notebook.

"Yes. And she has some annoying friends." Anna answered, taking a bite of her onigiri. Why did he care if Tamao was here or not? Anna was his fiancée back then, not Tamao. Why did he care?

"Everyone annoys you, Anna." Hao said with a smirk "It dosen't take much. I bet her friends are decent."

"I don't remember her moving, nii-chan…" Yoh looked at his brother, with a confused expression. Anna blushed slightly, he looked cute like that. Was he always that way? Even when they were kids? Did she blush when she looked at him when they were younger?

Hao opened a sad smile "She moved some time ago, Yoh. I believe 5 years ago. But she had already moved very far about seven months after Anna, so we didn't talk to her after she moved. I'm not surprise you didn't notice."

"Didn't she tell you on school or something?"Anna asked. In a small town like Izumo they only had one school.

"We were homeschooled for the past 7 years Anna." Yoh explained, opening a smile. Well, that explained why Yoh thought it was okay to sleep in class.

"Why?"

"Next Question."

Again. They always said that. Anna asked why they moved to Tokyo, and they said _Next Question_. She asked how were Keiko-bachan and Micky-jichan, and they said _next question_. She asked Yoh was so tired, and again they said _Next Question._

If she heard those two words one more time, she will have to call her parents so they can hire a lawyer, because she probably would be charged with two murders.

Anna stretched herself, and finally decided to take a look on what Yoh was doing. She had to think of a way to get the answer to her questions. They were stupid question, which normally she wouldn't mind knowing or not but… But the fact that they refused to answer the questions is what made her want to know it even more.

But what she saw only made her want ask even more questions. What she saw was an amazing drawing. It was a night scene, full moon, with clouds on the sky. It had a big tree, forming shadows on the floor. There was a sakura tree on the right side of the page, and on the bottom there were two people, wearing kimonos. The leaves from the sakura leaves flying everywhere, and the two people were looking into a horizon, where they had an ocean hitting a cliff. It looked so real, and it didn't even have the colors yet! Anna was amazed… She never knew Yoh could draw.

"What do you think?" Yoh asked, when he noticed she was staring open mouthed at his drawing.

"It's… Amazing. You can draw?" she asked, still amazed.

"Yep. When I turned 10 people just started to give me drawing materials. Everyday people were giving me papers and pencils and erasers…" Anna noticed that Hao had a hard look on his face. "It just became natural. I like it a lot. A lot more than school, that's for sure."

"Why did they do that?"

"Do what?" he looked confused. Yep, that was definitely her Yoh. She remembered how he was stupid and lazy as a kid. That was one of the things that made her want to force him to propose. Yes, she forced him. But if he was against the idea he wouldn't have, even with her slapping him.

"Why did they give you drawing materials?" Anna looked at him, he looked at Hao and Hao looked at him. She already knew what was going to happen now.

"Next Question." They both answered together.

She was going to hit them. She was. She even raised her hand to do that, but then Pirika, Tamao and the rest of their group showed up. Seriously, can't those guys take a hint? After 4 years, they still tried. Was that even humanly possible? How could a person be so persistent? Or was it stupidity? Maybe both.

"Anna-san!" called Pirika. Anna rolled her eyes and looked to the other side. Maybe if she pretended she didn't heard it someone would think it was somebody else, or would realize Anna wanted to be left alone with the twins.

"So they are Tamao's friends…" Hao said to himself. Anna didn't understand his statement, but Yoh did.

"Nii-chan, don't do it! Do you want Anna to kill us both?"

"And since when am I afraid of her?" Hao asked, with a smirk on his lips. Anna could hear Yoh murmuring something under his breath that sounded like the word _fool_. She didn't understand why, until Hao stood up and raised his hand.

"Right here! Anna is eating with us here!" Hao yelled, with a fake grin on his face.

"Idiot! Sit down! Sit down or I'll kill you both!" Anna yelled, and Yoh looked startled at her, and then started pleading for his brother to sit down.

"Nii-chan! Please, sit down! Don't you remember how Anna is when she is angry? She is a monster! A monster! Please, take pity on us!"

But that only made Hao raise his hand even higher.

In the end, Anna ate lunch with Yoh, Hao, Tamao, Manta, Lyserg, Chocolove, Horo-Horo, Ren and Pirika. Manta sat close to Yoh and Hao, who went to sit by his brother side, and helped Yoh with his homework. Manta was on the same class as Anna, and he noticed Yoh sleeping in class. Manta was allowing Yoh to copy his notes.

Hao was talking to Pirika and the others. He, without Anna's permission, agreed to go at the movies, saying Amidamaru was going to pick him and Yoh up and drop the three of them (yes, the three of them) on the movie theater at 8.

The movie was going to be a romantic suspense. Something Anna didn't even know it was possible. Apparently it was the story of two friends, who, while doing some research on the library, when they found a weird note. In the end they went into a crazy adventure that involves them being soul mates separated centuries in the past, by some tragedy between two kingdoms or some nonsense like so.

Anna didn't want to go. In fact, she was going to make up some excuse for not going and punish Hao later, but… But then she realized that Yoh was going to be in a movie theater with Tamao. Yoh, in a movie theater with Tamao, whose face was pinker than her hair just because she was looking at Yoh. Like hell she was going to allow those two together without her near.

So yeah, she accepted it. Call her what you want, she just had to make sure Yoh and Tamao were not together on a dark room without her.

After break things went pretty much like the first part of school. The only difference was that this time Yoh was drawing instead of sleeping. Anna needed to constantly poke him so he would pay attention.

At the end of school Anna offered to drive Yoh and Hao to their house. Amidamaru, to say the least, was more than pleased to do so. He kept talking about how much Anna missed them, and how heartbroken the entire staff was when they had to move 7 years ago. It was really embarrassing. Normal kids had their parents embarrassing them, Anna had her driver.

On the car Anna opened her backpack and started putting her accessories back. She tied her red scarf on her hair, and putted the necklace back. She didn't notice that Yoh and Hao were smiling at her until she was finished.

"What?" she snapped.

"Nothing… But…" Yoh then got close to her, and with his right hand he touched her scarf "You still have the scarf."

"And the necklace." Hao completed.

"I guess the ring got too small, huh?" Yoh now had a sad smile now.

"No." Anna showed the ring on her necklace "I would never lose my first engagement ring."

Hao laughed, as if the idea was ridiculous, and Yoh opened a bright smile, that made Anna hold her breath. Yep, the twins were back.

"What about you? You probably lost yours, I bet…" Anna was looking at his fingers. Not that she expected him to still have it. It was a silly thing they did when they were kids but… It would be nice to know that it meant as much for Yoh as it did for Anna.

"Mine is on my orange headphones." Yoh smiled. Wait… He kept it? He… He kept his ring, after all this time? And he putted on his orange headphones? On the orange headphones he always wore when he was kid? The one that he would only take off to take a bath and sleep? And now, obviously, for school?

Amidamaru saw by the mirror that Anna was holding back a smile. It sure was nice to see the young mistress happy again.

It took about 30 minutes to get to their house. They lived in an old Inn, far away from the city. It almost didn't have any buildings around. It was very peaceful, even if old. A place Anna would love to live in, but instead she got stuck in a stupid mansion, in a neighborhood full of stuck up people.

"An old Inn…?" Anna asked, looking at the house.

"Yep. It was an Inn, until some years ago it burned. Now is just a haunted house." Yoh explained, smiling.

"Yoh plans to make it into an operating Inn once we graduate High School. He doesn't want to make a living out of his art work, so he plans to open this Inn." Hao explained "I'm going to become a Forensic Psychiatric, most likely, so I'll help out with the Inn's finance."

"You want to open an…" Anna looked at Yoh, surprised.

"Well… When we were kids you always said we were going to open an Inn together, like Obaa-chan's… It's kind of hard to imagine any other future." Yoh only smiled.

When they were young Anna used to tell Yoh they were going to open an Inn together. An onsen. They would get married and run and Onsen together. Hao would work hard so he could pay for everything. Anna would get some of her parents' money to help fix their Inn and make it into both their business and their home. She used to say Hao would live with them until he get married, then they would kick him out. Anna planned to start a family with Yoh in an Inn, one child, that was all she wanted. And Yoh would attend to her and their child's every wish. She never gave either of them an option. She said that's the way she wanted things and Yoh had no other choice.

"It may be haunted… But I think I can take care of the spirits once all our troubles are gone." Yoh had again that blank expression.

"Ojii-chan and Obaa-chan only felt safe sending us to live alone in Tokyo if they knew there were people who they could trust, besides the police, looking after us." Hao said "They bought the Inn because they knew they could trust the spirits to look after us."

"Wait… You two live alone? And Police looking after you? What about Keiko and Mikihisa? Why aren't they living with you?" Anna was now worried, and Amidamaru was also looking at them.

Realizing he said too much, Hao opened the door of the car and stepped out, leaving his brother alone with Anna in the car (not counting with Amidamaru).

"Yoh, what did he meant with that? Why are the police looking after you? Why don't you two answer my questions? What the hell are you two hinding?"

Yoh, who had a blank expression on his face until that moment, smiled sadly at Anna, held her chin and kissed her cheek, before opening the door of the car and saying to a blushing Anna:

"Next Question."

So yay! I finally finished this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed and ignored my English mistakes. _ I really don't know what to say right now… Besides thanks for the reviews, thanks for adding this fic to your alert and thanks for reading. I just have one request for you… PLEASE REVIEW! T_T I need to know if people are liking this fanfic! I need to know what you guys don't understand and what you guys want to see ! I need to know if this fanfic if good enough or if it is just garbage. _ Please review…


	3. Chapter 3

She was ready to go. She didn't waste a lot of time getting ready. Just a black shirt and jeans, and her red scarf. She didn't want to make an impression. She didn't actually wanted to go. But by accepting the invitation Hao forced her to go. How could she let her two best friends go to the movies without her? And how could she let Tamao, her love rival years ago, be alone with her childhood fiancée? The one who Tamao seems to be developing a crush on… Again.

No way. She was going. And she wasn't jealous. That was not it! Yoh and Hao were her best friends, and she hadn't seen them in 7 years! She wanted to spend time with them! And maybe Tamao did get on her nerves just by looking at Yoh and blushing, and maybe Anna did feel like yelling at her that Yoh was never going to look at her in a romantic way so she better give up and get out of her way, but that didn't mean she was jealous! No it just… Tamao just annoyed her, that's all. Just because they were rivals when younger, that's it.

And she wanted her answers. The more she thought about it, the more confused she got. Why were they hiding things from her? She was going to find out, no matter how long it took, she was going to find out what they were hiding.

After getting ready she went down stairs and to the car. Amidamaru was waiting for her. They were going to get Yoh and Hao and meet the others at the door of the theater.

When they arrived at the Inn, Anna stepped out of the car and knocked at the door. It was a pretty old place, but perfect to open an Osen Inn. In her head she started planning all the things she would do if she owned the place. She would reform everything and make it bigger. She would work on the gardens and maybe…

"Anna, so you came!" said Hao, with a smile, interrupting her thoughts. He was wearing white shirt, with some buttons opened and blue pants. He had his red star earrings on and seemed ready to go.

"Of course I came. _Someone_ didn't leave me a choice." She said, giving emphasis on the word someone.

"Well, we needed a ride. Plus, it would be a shame if our best friend didn't come along." He smiled, opening the door more so she could come in. "Yoh is upstairs getting ready. Can you make him hurry up?"

"Okay." Anna went in and took a look at the house. It was still full of boxes, but Anna could see the potential Inn. Maybe she could buy it from Yoh and Hao once she graduates. Maybe even get it for free, if she played her cards right. And she would make the twins work for her for a while. Yes, that was a good plan.

As she looked around she saw a few people sitting around a table, which she judge to be the dining table. She had never seen any of them, and didn't like one bit the way they were looking at her.

"Who is this, Hao?" One man, with a weird mustache and small eyes asked. The way he said that sounded very rude.

"_This _is Kyouyama Anna." Answered Hao from behind Anna. "She is our childhood friend. We are going to see a movie with her."

"We didn't agree on that, Hao." Said a woman who was sitting behind the rude weird mustache guy. "You two are not going."

"It's dangerous, Hao. We need to protect you and Yoh." The third person, a skinny plain looking man said.

"It's not dangerous. We are going to be in a place full of people. And Anna's driver will take us there, wait for us and then bring us back. Right Anna?" he looked at Anna, who was still staring at the three weird strangers. "We'll be fine. Anna, go get Yoh."

"I would, but I don't know where…" she was interrupted by Hao pointing to the stairs.

"Upstairs, second bedroom." His eyes were still on the weird strangers. She followed his directions, but she was still on hearing range.

"Hao, you have to think about the safety of your brother. He's…" that was the woman, Anna could tell.

"I am! You guys are the ones who are not thinking about Yoh!" Hao sounded angry. That was a first. Anna never heard Hao angry before. Sure, when they were younger they fought, but Hao was never angry. Not really. The person who won the "Most rude person on Earth's history" may be talking to Hao, and he would still maintain a sweet annoying smile. To Anna, Hao always seemed to have a patience bigger than the universe itself. "The reason why we are in school and why we are making friends is because we wanted Yoh to have some normality in his life!"

"Yes, we do. But how can we end this entire thing if…" this was the weird mustache guy.

"I don't care about your stupid case! I want Yoh's happiness! But you don't give a damn about…" Unfortunately, that was all Anna could hear. She thought about staying on the stairs and listen to the rest of it, but something else caught her attention. A loud crash coming from the room that Hao said it was Yoh's.

She ran to his room and opened the door, without knocking. End up the crash was only some boxes falling. And Anna only blushed because she was embarrassed about barging into his room like that.

At least that's what she was trying to tell herself. The fact that she walked in and found a shirtless Yoh had nothing to do with it! And the fact that he had kissed her on the cheek earlier that day had nothing to with it either! She was just embarrassed that she forgot to knock.

"Anna, are you okay?" Yoh asked, in his low, sweet, innocent voice. He came close to her and placed his forehead on hers. "Your face is red… Do you have a fever?"

Of course. Of course he would do that. Why wouldn't he? Acting just like in the movies and Animes. And of course, she got even more red. Pathetic. She thought she was more intelligent than to let her hormones control her like that.

"I'm fine!" she yelled, distancing herself from him. "What… What about you?" she just wanted to change the subject. She wanted him not to notice her blush.

She looked down and took a deep breath. Change the subject… Just change the subject. She looked around the room, trying to find something to talk about, but her eyes always went back to him. She couldn't help herself.

And she couldn't help but notice the scars. They were everywhere. He had scars all over his abs, his chest, his arms and his shoulders. Some looked deep, others shallow. But there were so many! How could he have so many scars? He didn't have those 7 years ago.

"Where did you get those many scars?" Anna asked, finally looking up, but still avoiding looking at his bare chest.

"Oh…" He looked at himself, then smiled sadly, with that blank look on his eyes. She knew what was coming now.

"Next Question." he said, getting his headphones and a white shirt that was on his lying on his futon.

And she did it. She slapped him. With her left hand.

"What… What did you do that for? " Yoh asked, putting his hand where Anna's palm had hit him.

"Next Question." She answered with a smirk. And it was worth it, the look on his face was priceless. "Either way, just finish changing so we can go."

"Yes… I just need to clean this up…" And then Anna remembered what made her do the embarrassing act of barging into his room that caused her to blush (it had nothing to do with the fact that even thought Yoh was pale and skinny and full of scars Anna had to fight the urge to look at him!) was the loud crash of boxes made.

She looked at it and noticed that it was all drawing materials and drawings. There must have been thousands only on those boxes that fell on the floor. They were… Amazing. One drawing better than the other. Some were complex; beautiful clouds making complicated patterns in the sky while the sun set in the ocean, and others were more simples; a dark wooden door in a dark room, with a red-ish light coming in through it.

"Did you… Are these all yours?" Anna asked, gathering them into a pile and looking at all of them one by one.

"Yep!" He smiled proudly, as he caught all of the materials and put them back into the boxes "I need to find the others, and give them all to Hao later."

"To Hao?" That was odd. Why would he give the drawings to Hao? She thought artist always kept their drawings with them.

"Yep. Hao likes to have them all. Every time I make a new one I have to give him." He answered, now putting on his white shirt. Silently Anna scold herself, for wishing that he could stay shirtless for a little bit longer. Not that she was interested… Just… The scars! She was curious about the scars!

"Why?" she got up and put all of the drawings on a desk by the window.

He stopped, looking at her.

"What?" That look was annoying her.

"Promise not to slap me?"

"Why?" now she looked at him suspiciously.

"Next Question."

She was going to punch him. She promise not to slap him, but said nothing about punching. She was about to, when Hao entered the room.

"Come on, Yoh, hurry up!" Hao opened the door with no ceremony "I calmed those guys down, but let's go quickly, before they change their minds."

"Who are they?" Anna asked, stopping her fist mid air.

"They are the police or detectives that are taking care of us…" Yoh explained, going to one of the boxes, looking for something.

"And you still won't tell me why they are taking care of you, right?" This time she looked at Hao, who was leaning on the wall, arms crossed. He probably thought he looked cool like that, but in Anna's opinion, he looked like the idiot he was.

"Sorry Anna." He raised one hand, as if to wave the question away. "Is for your own good."

"My own good?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Truest me Anna." This time, it was Yoh who said. "You'll be better off not knowing."

As she was going to ask why, she turned to see Yoh and for a minute forgot what they were talking about. He was wearing the headphones. Those big, orange headphones that made him look goofy as kid. The same headphones Anna would hide from him and say she would only return if he promised to never leave her side, and if he promised to buy her lunch and carry her all the way home so she wouldn't have to step on a puddle. Now they didn't seem so huge. Actually, they looked kind of nice on him, in a weird way. It's almost like those big orange things are now a permanent part of his head, and he can't take them off or else it would be like something is missing.

And on the side of the headphones she could see it. It was rather small, but she could still see it. It was there, and she knew it. The ring. His ring. The ring that was just like the one she had on her necklace. He still had it. He wasn't lying.

"It's… the ring." She said that more to herself, in amazement. He really kept it. "You weren't lying."

"Of course he wasn't!" Hao seemed angry with that commentary. "My brother doesn't lie. Ever!"

"Why did you keep it?" Just ignore the idiot. Just ignore the idiot.

"For the same reason you did." He smiled "It's my first engagement ring, I wanted to keep it."

"Once his fingers were too big for the ring he would never let go of it." Hao had a distant look and a smile on his face. It seemed like he was reliving a memory, like his body was there, but his mind seeing something from the past. "He would hold it with both of his hands, always afraid he was going to lose it."

"Nii-chan!" Yoh was blushing. He was embarrassed. Anna had to hold her smile.

"I wanted to do something to the ring, but he wouldn't understand what I was trying to tell him. Until I finally made him sit down on hi room, I took the ring and the headphone and showed him that he could always have the ring with him, without having to hold it." Hao was silently laughing at the memory. It was kind of creepy, but still a little bit sweet.

"So it was his idea?" Anna asked, looking at Yoh.

"I wouldn't have thought about that on my own." He looked down.

"Well, let's go." The idiot seemed to be back from his pleasant flash back. "Amidamaru must be tired of waiting."

They went. On the way to the theater Amidamaru kept talking to Yoh and Hao about the past 7 years, and how Anna had grown up. It was really embarrassing. She thought the stupid silver hair driver had done telling all the embarrassing stories earlier that day, but it seemed she was wrong. Yoh was smiling the entire time, but Hao kept looking and Hao, with a smirk. He didn't know it, but he was very close to losing all those teeth.

"We're here." Amidamaru finally said. Anna was thanking the Gods for that. Amidamaru was going to start talking about the day when she became a woman, and how the strong Kyouyama Anna cried in pain because of cramps. She really didn't want the twins to know about that. She didn't mind Yoh that much, but if Hao knew, she would never hear the end of it.

They got out of the car to meet the others. They were all there, buying the popcorn, sodas and candies. Ren was creating trouble, complaining they didn't have milk, Chocolove was saying some lame joke, Manta was on a laptop, Lyserg was talking with Pirika and Tamao about something and Horo-Horo complaining with Ren for causing trouble.

Oh God. That was going to be one heck of a Friday night. Anna crossed her finger, hoping they wouldn't be thrown out from the theater. Maybe it was a bad idea to have come along.

"Anna!" Pirika called, when she saw them. She ran and hugged Anna. Okay, it was official, Blue Hair equals Low IQ.

"Don't hug me." Anna said. When the ainu let go she took a look at the others. Tamao was there, wearing a black skirt and a beige sweater. She was wearing makeup and holding a pursue. In the 4 years Anna spent in Tokio, going to the same school as Tamao, she never saw the pink haired girl wearing makeup or a skirt. And when she looked at Yoh she looked down, blushing like mad.

Nope. It wasn't a bad idea to have come along. She wasn't going to let Tamao near Yoh.

She looked at the brown haired boy, and noticed he was looking up at the sky, with a frown.

"What's wrong, Yoh?" Anna asked, as Hao bought their tickets. He was also going to buy Anna's. It was his fault that she was stuck with those air headed idiots. The least he could do is pay for her ticket and her popcorn.

"I can hardly see stars in the city." He didn't stop looking at the sky. It looked like he was searching for them.

"You still love stars, huh?" Anna looked at him with blank eyes.

"Yes! They are beautiful!" Yoh then held Anna's hand and pointed at the sky. She blushed, and then smiled. They used to do that when they were little. They would lay down on the grass and the three of them would look at sky. Yoh would make some comment about the sky, and Anna would say how much he loved the stars. He would then hold her hand and point to the star that had caught his attention during that night, and say that it was beautiful.

"See that one over there?" He pointed to a single star that was visible "She is even more bright than all these lights! She is strong and beautiful!"

"You see that star every night Yoh. What makes it so different today?"

"I may see her every day, but every time I look at her I feel amazed by her presence." He had now a smile that made Anna's heart beat fast, and her lungs stop working "Is like I'm looking at her for the first time each time I look up. She's beautiful."

Anna smiled and looked up. Truly, things like that only made sense when Yoh explained to her. She missed that. During 7 years she couldn't see true beauty in the sky or in the snow. But now she could see that with Yoh by her side, she would again understand all that.

"One day I'll name that star." He said, almost to himself, right before Hao called them to go inside. It was then that Anna realized that they were still holding hands.

She looked at the others and saw that they were all inside. All except for her, Yoh, Hao and Tamao. Hao didn't seem to mind much the fact that she was holding his brother's hand. In fact, he didn't even seem to notice it. Must because when they were kids, Anna always forced Yoh to hold her hand.

But Tamao did. In fact, she looked like she wanted to cry, but was trying to smile. Maybe it was cruel of Anna, but she didn't let go of Yoh's hand. In fact, she started walking, pulling Yoh with her, and giving Tamao a look that told her that Yoh was Anna's and Anna's alone.

In the movie they seated all in one row. Pirika, Lyserg, Horo-Horo, Ren, Chocolove, Tamao and Manta sat all in that order. Anna wanted Yoh to sit by her and Manta, but Hao refused. He wouldn't let his brother sit by anyone's side except his own, so Anna had to sit by Manta's and Hao's side.

So much for romantic. Not that she wanted to have a romantic night with Yoh! She knew it wasn't a date. Besides, she didn't even like him that way! Is just… Is just that…

Hao was acting a bit overprotective. When they entered the room, he seemed like he was trying to see the face of all the people, and every time someone entered the theater, he would quickly take a good look on their faces, and then look at Yoh. Yoh would only smile sadly and shake his head, and Hao would look relieved.

She was going to ask him what was going on, but she knew what they were going to answer. And sincerely, she was sick and tired of hearing those two words.

When the lights went dark Anna could hear someone suppressing tears. She knew who that someone was, and didn't feel bad one bit. At least now Tamao knew she had no chance with Yoh. But she knew the girl was not going to give up. Not with the stupid blue haired girl encouraging her, like Anna knew she was.

The movie was kind of boring. It was the story of two best friends, who loved each other. One day, while in the library, one of them has a vision of the past, of what seemed to be the two of them, married in Ancient Egypt.

End up they were both Soul Mates, that because of curse on their first lives, got separated and doomed to never be able to be together in heaven. The curse was put on them by some evil person who for some reason Anna didn't really pay attention to it, didn't want them to be together. So the person cursed them and then assassinated them both. Since then they have been reincarnating, searching for each other.

It was pretty boring, and pathetic. The only good thing about the movie were the special effects. Most scenes were about the two best friends searching for the truth, and after they found out the truth, searching for a way to be together. Boring.

The only scene that was different was the one that showed the murder. But Anna didn't get to see that one. No, when it was starting, as soon as the person raised the hand with the knife and was about to stab the boy, who was protecting his wife, Hao stood up and dragged Yoh out of the movie, before anything could happen.

Anna couldn't help herself. She also stood up and left. She wanted to know what happened, and why they left.

As she went outside, she saw Yoh sitting down on a bench, with a lost look on his eyes, full angst. Looked like he was swallowing something extremely bitter. Hao was in front of him, on his knees, so he could be at eye level, with his hands on Yoh's shoulders, with a sad, worried look on his face. He was murmuring something to Yoh, who seemed to only be half listening.

"Yoh, can you hear me? I'm Hao. We are both fine. We are in Tokyo right now. Nothing is going on. Everything is fine. Yoh?" but Yoh continued with the same look on his face "Yoh, he is gone. Everything is all right now. Please, talk to me. Come on, just come back now. We are not 10 anymore. Can you hear me?"

Anna had no idea what was going on. What Hao was saying made no sense at all. And Yoh… he seemed like he was in some other planet. Maybe another time. Or almost there.

"What's going on?" Anna asked, getting close to Yoh. He didn't acknowledge her presence.

"Can you hear her, Yoh? It's Anna! She is here with us. We are in the movies. Come on… Come on, Yoh." Hao's voice was about to crack. He sounded like he was going to cry. "Come on Yoh. Come back! I can't lose you again! I can't! I'm sorry I brought you here, just please, come back!" Okay, now he really sounded like he was going to cry. Anna could swear he was holding back tears as he started shaking his brother "Please Yoh! Can you hear me? Please!"

Anna didn't know what to do. She acted without thinking. She slapped him. It didn't work with Yoh, but it did with Hao.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Hao yelled, letting go of his brother, who now seemed to be breathing fast "Why did you do that?!"

"What's going on?! Why is he like that?!" Ignore the idiot.

"It doesn't matter." Hao looked again at his brother, now more worried than ever.

"Doesn't matter?!" He wasn't just an idiot; he was insane. "Are you insane?! Look at him!"

"It's none of your business." Hao looked darkly at her. He then went to his brother, and his eyes got winded. "Oh no…"

"What?" Anna looked at Yoh. He now was starting to look… Terrified.

"I'm sorry Yoh. I should have took you out from there when I first notice what was going to happen." Hao spoke, his hands back on the younger twin's shoulder.

"Wait. He is like that because of the movie?" Anna looked at the door of the theater.

Hao didn't respond. It seemed like he was the one who was now saying to himself _ignore the idiot_. He just kept looking at his brother, like he was waiting for something.

Anna kept looking at Yoh, worried. He didn't look like her Yoh. He looked like…Like he was having a terrible nightmare. Like the one he was having during class. She didn't know what to expect. She knew something was going to happen, but she didn't know what.

Sitting down by his side, she held his hand, squeezing it, waiting for what was going to happen. It was only 30 seconds, but it looked like hours. Nothing happened. Yoh just blinked and looked at Hao, like he came back from a trance.

He looked sadly at his brother, who smiled relieved, swallowing his cry, and hugging his brother.

"I thought I was going to lose you again." Hao murmured, almost as if his breath was spitting out those words. Anna knew those words were only for Yoh, but she heard them.

Yoh let go off Anna's hand and hugged his brother back, in a comforting manner. Hao then let go of his brother, and smiled. He was way out of character, but at that moment Anna didn't really cared. She was worried. She wanted to know what was happening, why Yoh was like that.

He then looked at Anna, and opened an apologetic and sad smile.

"I'm sorry I worried you, Anna." He said, in his Yoh-ish way.

"What… What just happened?" Anna looked at both of them, confused.

"Next Question." Yoh said, this time with a playful smile, like nothing had happened. Only this time she was too worried to feel like punching him.

"I think it's better if we stay outside and wait for the others." Hao said, stretching his back, sitting by Yoh.

"I wish there were stars outside… Then it will be just like old times!" Yoh smiled, looking outside, with a smile.

Anna didn't said anything. She knew they were hiding something from her. Since the day of that call, she knew there was something going on with them. But only now has she figured out that it was way more serious than she ever thought.

They were hiding something from her… She was going to find out what.

* * *

Okay… Please, don't kill me! I realize I left you guys more questions than answers, but please, don't kill me! I promised, this is one of the last times you will hear "Next Question".

Anna: Liar.

*looks at Anna* Okay… So sorry for all you who hoped to get some answers… Next chapter you will have some, I promise.

Anna: But you don't plan to tell the entire truth until about what? 3 or 4 chapters from now?

Quiet Anna-sama! Don't tell them that! So thanks for the ones who reviews this fic! I'm happy to know that there are so many people who like it! I didn't expect nearly so many reviews! Thank you so much!


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Damn that red light. How long have they been there, waiting for it to turn green? Ten minutes, minimum. God, why was it taking so long?! Damn it! Why can't it just turn green already?! She didn't have all day!

"It's taking too long…" Anna said to herself, sighing.

"It's been only 10 seconds, Miss Anna." Amidamaru chuckled. The blond girl had no patience whatsoever when it came to going to see the twins.

"It's still too long!" Anna looked outside the window, counting to 10 in her head. 1… 2… 3… She looked at the light, and noticed it was still red. It was teasing her. 4… 5… 6… Why doesn't it turn green already? 7… 8… 9…

"Why the hell is it taking too damn long?!" She was ready to open the door and walk all the way to their house and go back to her mansion walking.

And then it turned green. Amidamaru thought about teasing his mistress a little more by waiting a few seconds before going, but he quickly changed his mind. Anna would kill him if he took too long to get to the twins' house.

Well, at least she was happy.

Since Yoh and Hao came back into Anna's life, two months ago, the blond girl was happier. They spent most of the day together. Amidamaru would get them at their house in the morning with Anna and drive the three of them to school. They would spend the morning together, until Silva-sensei started the class. They would eat lunch with Pirika and the others. That included Tamao.

If it was up to Anna, the three of them would eat lunch alone. But Hao just enjoyed teasing her, even if later she beat the living crap out of him. For some reason the long haired idiot just seemed to enjoy pain. Besides, Anna had to admit that Yoh needed to spend time with Manta, considering the shorthaired twin took naps during class.

Those odd naps. The ones that were just like the one from his first day of school. Yoh never seemed to enjoy them. Sometimes he was shaking, sometimes he moaned painfully. Sometimes when Anna tried to wake him up he would act as if she was going to kill him. Not that she wasn't capable of murder, but...

One time when he woke up there were tears in his eyes.

And even with so many naps, Yoh never seems rested. It looks like those semicircles under his chocolate eyes would get deeper each day. His pale skin, his skinny body, those semicircles… Yoh looked like he really needed some deep sleep, but for some reason he couldn't get it. So she would let him take naps during class, hoping he could at least rest a little, and then use Manta's notes to study. But he would never get rest during the naps.

And that time at the movies, two months ago. Something was definitely wrong with Yoh.

Not surprisingly, when Anna asked Hao about Yoh's sleeping problem he said "next question".

Why did keep so silent about this issue? Didn't they consider Anna their friend?

Well, after lunch they would go back to class. During the second half Yoh would be drawing or looking out the window. Hao would always seem to keep an eye on him. He was, Anna noticed, overprotective. Sometimes during lunch he interrupted what one person was saying to make sure Yoh was eating right. If they wanted to go someplace Friday or during the weekend, Hao would always take a long time before answering. It was true that Yoh would normally keep his mouth shut and let Hao answer and decided just about anything for the two of them. During Gym Hao would always be looking at Yoh, and during class Hao would keep looking at him, every now and then, making sure that he was all right.

And if anything happened to Yoh, or if he thought something happened… God, did he over react! He went crazy, stopping everything he was doing and interrupting everyone just to make sure his brother was okay.

A bit paranoid, some people would think. But after what happened at the movies that night… Well, Anna was sure he had a very good reason to be _that_ over protective.

Even if sometimes it did mean that Anna couldn't spend time alone with Yoh.

Not that she wanted to! Yoh was her best friend, but so was Hao! Is just… Yoh was way less annoying than Hao. That's it. That's why she sometimes stared at him during class, why she wanted to be alone with him, have him close to her… So close that she could know what he smells like and that she could feel his body heat.

It was only because he was the only person in the world who did not annoy her that much.

"We're here." Amidamaru said, and Anna swears she heard Halleluiah chorus coming from the radio.

"Finally." She said under her breath, opening the door of her car, not waiting for Amidamaru to do that for her. She then went to his window and gave him the order to stay in the car and then go back to their house.

Today was Saturday morning, and after a long discussion with those idiots that took care of Yoh and Hao, she was finally able to get permission to bring them to her house. It was weird how she had to get permission to take them anywhere, almost as if they were children. Well, actually, they didn't have much of a problem with Hao going out as much as they did with Yoh.

She went to the door and rang the bell. She waited until Hao, with a huge smile, which Anna knew was actually a disguised smirk, on his face.

"Anna! Is so nice to see you!" he said, leaning in on the door, blocking her way. "Come to finally kidnap my brother so the two of you can run away together and get married ?"

Anna could feel her face getting red. That's something that Hao had done a lot lately. He loved teasing Yoh and Anna, because of their childhood engagement. He would always something that implied that the two of them were… well, in love.

Yeah, right. Anna laughed at the thought. Her and Yoh, in love ? Riiiiiight… Although… her face always got red when Hao mentioned that. And every time she saw Yoh her heart beat fast when she thought about or saw him.

And maybe it was just her imagination, but Yoh always got a little red when he saw her, and he had the exact same reaction to Hao's teasing as she did.

"Shut up, Hao." Was her answer, looking down, hoping he wouldn't notice the blush.

"Come on in… We were waiting for you." He stepped aside, letting Anna in.

She went inside and looked around. They had almost nothing at the house, just a few personal belongings, close to no furniture. Yoh and Hao weren't suppose to share a room, but Anna knew that probably during the night Hao would probably go to Yoh's room, dragging his futon with him, and the two of them would sleep together. That's what they did when they were little kids. Anna always thought it was ridiculous. Why not just ask Mikihisa and Keiko to let them share a room?

Well, that was when they were little kids, but now… Anna had a guess that those cops living with them were not only that nice when she was around.

"Can you call your stupid lazy brother? I don't want to stay here for long…" and end up having to meet with those cops.

"He is in the living room, drawing." Hao answered, indicating with his head the direction of the living room, and then going to it.

And there he was. His pale hands working on a drawing and his tired dull brown eyes concentrating in his work. Anna doubted he heard Hao, who was probably sitting by his side while he worked like he usually did, leave and come back. He also didn't hear her coming in.

She got close to him, ready to push him out of the chair for ignoring her and making them late for lunch. She wanted to. In fact, she had her hands on the chair. But then she saw the drawing.

A forest and a river. There was this long haired girl wearing a summer time kimono looking at her reflection on the water. She looked rather sad, but happy at the same time. Probably the best way to describe it was someone who was unhappy, but at that moment was able to be happy again. By her side there was a boy, with long hair, walking towards the girl and the river while looking behind, almost calling for someone.

And he was, but Anna could barely see that person. It was another boy, almost identical to the first one. He looked sad and dull. Almost as if he was a soulless body, like he needed to be dragged by the first boy. He seemed like he was smiling, but it was obviously a fake one.

Yoh was starting to work on the colors. While on around he used shades of green and yellow, and on the river blue and brown, he varied the color on the three people. The girl had warm colors. Colors that, even thought you could tell she was unhappy and could only smile at that moment, you still felt amazed by her presence. You felt like she was the most important and interesting person in the world. Like her presence could make you feel better.

The boy in the middle had a mixture of different colors. When Anna looked at him she felt like the boy was someone trustworthy, someone who would protect you, who you cared for. He was someone who you depended completely on and that you needed with you. Someone who without it you would feel lost. In a way, he looked like he was like a sun, keeping you warm and alive. Without him you wouldn't be able to live. Without his protection and without him by your side… You would be lost.

And the other boy… Well, the only thing that made him stand out was the fact that Yoh was using colors like blue, gray and black on him. Everything around him, even some of the plants, were in dark color. His face, in so much detail, showed so many different emotions hidden behind a fake smile. Sadness, Hopelessness, Guilt, Fear… So many things. It seemed like the boy was somewhat miserable. Hollow. As if something was killing him on the inside, making him a soulless body, and with the last bit of strength he had he tried to smile, pretending everything was okay.

Anna felt Hao's eyes resting on her while she looked at Yoh's work. She looked at him and saw his eyes. He seemed to have a knowing look, mixed with sadness and understanding. He knew the meaning of Yoh's drawing. Probably because he spent most of time at school reading Psychology books.

This was not the only drawing of Yoh that scared and amazed Anna. On Yoh's room he had his most recent projects, the ones he was working on. But on Hao's room is where they kept most of his drawings. Hao kept them all. He would always look at them, analyzing them. He demanded having them all, even if it was a simple doodle. Hao would always keep them, even when he was done analyzing it. Anna knew that part of it was because he just wanted to have all of his baby brother's work.

"Yoh… These…" she was about to say something, when the Weird Mustache cop came into the room. Came in would be a bit kind to say. He barged him, with heavy footsteps, making Yoh look up from his work and Hao look at his direction.

Great. Every time Mustache small eye cop came into the room something bad happened. He had little patience, always being rude. Hao seemed to hate him. He, who always had an infinite patience lost his cool very easily when Weird Mustache was involved.

Not that Anna could blame him.

"What do you have here? Is it something useful?" with that he got a hold of the paper and pulled it, while Yoh's pencil for dark shadows was still touching the paper. Needless to say, the motion made a big line in the piece of art.

"Hey!" Yoh looked at the direction of Weird Mustache with a frown.

"Nothing useful." The man said, now looking at Yoh. "Why don't you stop drawing this crap and do something useful that can help us?!"

With that, Weird Mustache started ripping the drawing apart.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Hao yelled, taking the drawing from his hands before he could do anymore damage.

"We can't waste time with useless drawings! Why can't you just force him to do the one we _need?!" _

"I can't force my brother to do anything he doesn't want! He will tell us when he's ready!" Hao shouted, looking at the man angry "Right now my only concern is my brother's physical and mental health! _That_ should be _your_ priority as well!"

Anna was about to ask what was going on and punch Weird Mustache when she felt Yoh holding her wrist.

She blushed. And her heart was beating fast now. But not because she liked him. No. It was because… She was angry! She was furious! How dare he just do that to Yoh's work?! And… And… Yoh's grip was so weak. And his hands were so soft… No! That was _not _the reason why she was blushing! She was angry! That's it! Angry!

"Come on, they are going to fight again… Is not going to be pretty." Yoh had that cute smile that made it look like he was apologizing for the two of them. He stood up and started walking, when Anna released her wrist.

"I can walk on my own, you idiot." With that she walked ahead of him, her face red with anger. Damn that Weird Mustache and Small Eyes Cop.

He laughed and followed her outside, Hao staying behind, arguing with Weird Mustache and the two others who came when they heard the fight.

"You are still the same Anna as always. Getting angry over nothing." He laughed, as if nothing had happened. "And during Lunch especially."

She wasn't angry over nothing during lunch. No. She had a very good reason to be angry: Tamao annoyed her. A lot. Even after the movie she kept looking at Yoh. Couldn't she see that she had no chance? That Anna would never let Yoh date _her?_

And how could Yoh be so oblivious?! Why couldn't he see that she was _flirting_ with him? That she liked him? Maybe even more? Was he that stupid?

The way Tamao would always dress up for Yoh, and how she would cook him bentos and try to give it to him… And the way she looked at him, blushing and trying to be sweet and nice… And how she always tried to get his attention and was always polite… It was so disgusting that made Anna sick.

Of course, all of Tamao's attempts to be with Yoh were useless. As long as Anna was present, she was _not_ going to let Tamao flirt freely with Yoh. No way. Not even over her dead body.

"I don't get angry over nothing!" now she was angry. Of course she had a reason to be angry! Tamao, Weird Mustache Guy, Hao… Clueless Yoh. "I have plenty of reasons to be angry!"

He chuckled, and that made Anna even more angry.

"Stop laughing, you air head!"

That only made him laugh more. Four were two things more annoying than having Yoh laughing at you. Tamao flirting, Weird Mustache Guy being himself, Hao teasing her and… Of course, those two words that Anna had crossed out of her dictionary. No, really, she got a pen and scratched those two words out of every dictionary in her house.

"Shut it, Yoh!" When he didn't, she did the only thing Kyouyama Anna would do. She hit him. He stopped as soon as her hand made contact with his face and the other cheek made contact with the ground "Now see if you learn a lesson."

After that Hao showed up. He looked angry as well. Probably another serious fight with the cops that thanks to Yoh, Anna couldn't overhear.

Amidamaru, when noticed that all three of them were outside, didn't give a chance for them to open the door by themselves. He was always like that, never letting them do something so simple like opening the car door.

"Are your parents going to be there, Anna?" Yoh asked, as soon as Amidamaru closed the door.

"What do you think?" Anna looked at him, annoyed. She still hasn't forgiven him for laughing at her.

Anna's parents were never home. They were either working or travelling. There were months that she didn't even see them at all. They didn't really care that much for her. She was just there. The kid they had. They gave money to her and to their employees so they could raise the girl. That was it. Most of the time Anna was alone.

But now… Now she had Yoh and she had Hao. She had her friends back.

"Ryu has been working all morning on this lunch, Yoh-sama and Hao-sama." Amidamaru said excited, as he started the car.

Ryu was the Kyouyama Family cook. Ever since Anna was a little girl he has been working for them. And yet, not even he can escape Anna's criticism. She always finds something to complain about. Luckily he didn't quit yet. Anna knows for a fact that even if he is not a perfect cook, it will be hard to find someone as good as him.

"And Mosuke can't wait to see you two again!" Amidamaru said. Mosuke was the head butler. Besides Mosule they had three maids: Machi, Mari and Kanna.

It was the first time the two of them were going to visit Anna's house in Tokyo, even thought they had been in the city for two months. It took a lot of time to convince the three cops to let them

And Amidamaru went on and on, as always, about how everyone in the mansion missed the two of them and couldn't wait for this lunch. About how much they waited for that lunch and how much Anna was lonely without them.

Was it seriously the job of parents to embarrass the kids? Because in Anna's case it seemed Amidamaru took that role.

When they finally arrived, they were greeted by a very happy Mosuke at the big white front doors. The mansion, to say the least, was huge. And inside was decorated in a way that it looked comfortable, but also looked like no one actually lived there.

Just like the house Anna lived in Izumo.

"Yoh-sama! Hao-sama!" Mosuke said, as the four of them, Anna, Yoh, Hao and Amidamaru, in that order, entered the house "Is so nice to see you two again! How long as it been?"

"7 years, Mosuke." Hao answered, walking to Yoh's side.

"7 years?! That long?" Mosuke looked at them, pretending to be surprised.

"Yes… 7 years. Can you believe it's been that long?" Amidamaru asked his best friend.

"I remember when the three of them were just this high!" Mosuke continued, putting his hand down at knee level.

Anna always thought Mosuke was a weird butler.

"You two continue talking; I'll show the two of them the house." Anna took Yoh's hand on her left hand and Hao's hand on her right hand, and headed upstairs.

Upstairs was just like a maze. Anna still had to carry a handmade map of the house to not get lost. It was made up of several different hallways, all connected, and many doors leading to many rooms. It was kind like a hotel, only with some rooms more spacious than others. Anna's parents' room was the biggest one.

"How many rooms do you have just up here?" Hao asked, looking around.

"I don't know. I never bother counting them." At the end of this hallway turn left. "I think we have more rooms than in the Inn you guys live in."

"You bet." Yoh had that cute smile on. The one that annoyed Anna so much that she blushed "It's just not bigger than the Asakura Mansion, back in Izumo."

"Yes, but that thing is huge. There were wings on mansion that we never set foot in." Hao let out sigh. It was true that the Asakura Mansion was just enormous. Apparently, long ago they needed that much space so the entire family plus their disciples could live in. "And now only grandma and grandpa live there."

"What do you mean, only Kino-sensei and Yohmei-san?" Anna looked at Hao. Second to last door on the right. "What about Aunty Keiko and Uncle Micky?"

She looked at the two of them, and noticed that they exchanged glances. Almost as if Hao was asking "_should we tell her_?_"_and Yoh was answering _"I don't know. You decide."_.

"And why aren't they living with you? Why do you have to live those three cops?" they thought she didn't noticed, but she saw them exchanging those glances again. "What did you two do to deserve having to live with those three?"

This time, Yoh stopped. He bit his lower lip and looked down, but obviously wouldn't answer. Hao was the one who answered those type of questions.

"_We_" Hao said, giving a lot of emphasis to the word we. He then put his arm around his brother's shoulder, and looked at him. It seemed like he was talking to Yoh. Instead of Anna. "Didn't do anything. _Neither_ of us." He was still looking at Yoh. "Got it?" Only now did he look at Anna.

How annoying.

"You still haven't answered my question." Anna crossed her arms and looked at the two of them. If they said those two words this time, she would be going to jail for murder.

"What Question?" Hao asked, walking past Anna, holding his little brother's hand and dragging him along.

They had a death wish. That's what they had.

"This is your room, right?" Yoh asked, a weak smile on his face as he pointed to Anna's door.

A weak smile coming from Yoh. He looked… Sad…

Maybe she could let go, only this time.

"Yes." She walked to the door and opened, revealing a very plain looking room. White walls, a bed, a big window, two doors, one leading to Anna's closet and the other two the bathroom, a desk, and some bookshelves. "It's very plain and occidental looking. I don't like it. I wish it was more traditional Japanese or… Or that the walls weren't so white."

"When you grow up and buy our Inn you can have a Traditional Japanese room." Yoh said, now returning to his old self.

"Yes, but until then I'm stuck with this room." Anna looked around. She hated her house.

"Then I guess you can do something to the walls." Hao walking into to the room and sitting down on Anna's bed.

They spent most of the time talking in Anna's room. Hao was lying on Anna's bed, looking at the ceiling, and Yoh and Anna sat side by side on the floor. While Hao talked most of the time, leaving almost no chance for Anna to say anything, Yoh would whisper what he wanted to say to her. He had that smile on his face the entire time and was always looking at her.

It annoyed her so much that she was blushing and her heart skipped a few beats every now and then.

Kanna, one of the maids, called the three of them to go downstairs when the lunch was ready. The entire time she talked with Hao, about random things, trying to impress the long haired twin. It was, to Anna, weird, considering how much older Kanna was and the fact that Hao didn't seem interested in any relationship that made him have to spend less time with his brother.

Was Hao always this over protective? For all Anna could remember, the three of them were inseparable. But because Hao was much more talented with his powers than Yoh was, he always had to train a few extra hours. So in the end, Anna always spend more time with Yoh than with Hao. There were times that were only the two of them. And Hao was okay with that. He was okay with letting his brother out of his sight back then.

But now…

They arrived downstairs to find a table set. Like you would find in a five star restaurant. You know the ones that had about 100 forks, knifes, plates and that the lunch itself took about 9 hours. Probably Ryu had prepared several courses.

And all Anna wanted was a traditional Japanese meal like he prepared every day.

He was going to pay for this.

It took 2 hours to eat the salad and the first course of lunch. Funny, Anna could swear Kanna said that the lunch was _ready_. Which, according to her definition of food that is ready, means that they wouldn't have to wait more than just a couple of minutes before staring eating.

But apparently some people thought that _ready_ meant about half a day to serve a meal.

Occasionally Ryu would come out of the kitchen to check how everything was. Which only delayed the main course even more. Anna was so close to grabbing a knife and run around the room, trying to stab him. If he had time to go to the dining room and chat why wasn't he in the kitchen cooking?

"So, where is Keiko-sama and Mikihisa-sama? I wish they were here! I prepared their favorite!" Ryu said, as he came out of the kitchen yet again.

"We all wish they were here." Hao answered, with a sad smile. Yoh looked down, almost in a guilty way.

"Why aren't they here?" This was the perfect opportunity. They wouldn't dare to say those words in front of the others. Maybe they did in front of Anna, but in front of the other ones, who worked all morning, preparing the house for the two of them? No, they would never be able to. It would be too weird. To awkward.

Hao looked at his brother, only to notice that his head was lowered. Yoh returned the look. He was again with that weak sad smile. He looked again like that.

Hao gave a long tired closed eye sigh, before looking up.

"They are dead. They died a few months after you guys left." His voice betrayed any emotion. His eyes were hard and Anna could see something on them. Hate? Anger? Both? Neither? She didn't know. She couldn't tell.

But dead?! Mikihisa and Keiko were _dead_?! For _7 Years_?! That was… That was the last thing Anna expected. That Keiko and Mikihisa were… It had to be a lie! It just had to!

Then she remembered. They stopped calling. They stopped calling and then Hao answered the phone and said that they couldn't speak. Was it because of that? Because of their parents' death? Was that the reason why they stopped calling? It must have been very traumatic for the two of them. First losing their best friend and then… Both of their parents at the same time.

"H-How?" Anna asked, when she found her voice again.

She looked at Hao and then at Yoh. This time the boy seemed to have been swallowed by the big chair. His head was down, his shoulders up. His eyes… He looked helpless. Guilty. Miserable. He was biting down on his lower lip and… It was so hard to explain it in words.

It was not nearly as terrible as he was in the movies that night, but still… It looked like he was thinking of something terrible.

Hao also noticed this. He looked at his brother and then at Anna, and with a plain voice he said:

"Next Question."

* * *

Finnally! I am aware that many of you want to kill me right now. XD Sorry! But yes, you guys now have some idea of what might have happened to Yoh-kun! I gave you some information of what happened to the twins during the past seven years! That's right! Their parents died!

And… Confession time: The words _Next Question_ weren't meant to nearly show up as much as they did. XD I'm serious. They were meant to be only in the second chapter, and my intention was not to annoy you, but to show that they were hiding something. XD Thought when I saw how many people got really annoyed and really angry with those words, I couldn't help myself. XD I always try to put them somewhere in every chapter now. XD It's just so funny reading the reviews complaining about it. XD Sorry. I'll try to stop it, thought no promises.

Oh, and According to my calculations… You should know what really happened to the twins on Chapter 8. So only 4 more chapter to go! =D

And thank you so much for reviewing! I had forgotten that writing a multi-chapter fanfic can be fun, as long as people review it. In the Portuguese part of no one reads fanfic, so updating and writing in Portuguese has become a pain instead of something that I do for fun. But I'm loving writing this fanfic! I loved it! I know it sucks, but still! Receiving reviews just makes me really happy!

So review, otherwise I'll put a lot of _Next Question_ in the next chapter! *evil laugh*


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

She opened the door, checking the inside of the room one more time. It was clean and it big. He should have no problem staying there. She frowned when she saw the window opened. The sky was dark with clouds, it may rain. She didn't want him… the room to get wet! Yes, the room. She didn't really care if he got wet.

Stepping inside the room Anna closed the doors that led to the small balcony. She was about to close the curtains when she noticed the garden of her house and of her neighbors… Maybe he would like to have it open? Maybe the view would inspire him to draw something? Maybe something that she wouldn't give to Hao and keep it to herself?

Windows close, curtain open, she decided.

Turning around she had to fight the urge to check the digital clock by the nightstand.

Okay… No need to look at the clock. You will probably be leaving in just a few minutes. It's been what? 55 minutes since she last checked what time it was. No need to check… One quick glance wouldn't hurt.

That couldn't possibly be right! No way it had only been 7 minutes since she last looked at the clock! No way Anna still had to wait 48 minutes before leaving!

Could she sue Time? Destroy it? Torture it until it was begging for mercy and agreed to go by as she pleases? Anna certainly wanted to do something like that.

She sat on the bed and looked at the ceiling. Soon Yoh would be there and he would stay a week with her. A week together, alone with Yoh. No Tamao, no Manta, no Police Officers… No Hao.

Not that she was happy or anything. No, she was just worried. With Hao gone someone needed to look after Yoh and… And she was the best option. It's not like she wanted to be with him, alone, for a week… No way! She was just a worried friend.

Yes, that was it. Who could trust those police officers that were taking care of them? Yoh needed to stay with someone that really cared for him while Hao was gone.

Hao going away for a week. The first time the twins will separate. Never in their lives have they spent more than a few hours away from each other. Never. Anna knew that. She remember when they were little, when Anna was alone with Yoh, after a few hours he would get distracted, would always look around, looking for something, and sometimes would look so sad, like he was about to cry. Hao did the same thing, but instead of look like he was going to cry, he looked like he would go insane and run away, searching for Yoh. And when they saw each other again they would run to each other, their hands would meet and look into each other's eyes, almost as if having a private conversation. Something that only the two of them could understand. At the begging it deeply annoyed her, but then she got used to it. It was just some of the weird things surrounding the Asakura Twins.

And now they would stay a week apart. An entire week. No doubt that when Hao came back the two would completely ignore her. Anna was ready for that. Ready to be ignored. Not that she wouldn't be mad and probably slap the two of them at every five seconds. She was. But she was ready for that.

Now the only problem would be how the two of them would react during the week. Hao wasn't her problem. He wasn't going to be Anna's problem, Yoh was. No doubt he would be in a worst condition without his older overly protective brother. Not that she knew what his condition was. Hao and Yoh still kept a secret about it. Anna only knew Yoh that something really bad happened to Yoh after his parent's death, and that because of it Hao couldn't stand the idea of letting any stranger close to Yoh.

She saw it sometimes. When they were eating something at a dinner or when they were at the park. At the rare times when Yoh was the one doing the talking, having a nice cheerful, honest conversation with Anna, a conversation in which the words that Anna refused to think about were not said at all, Hao would look around. Again, almost as if he was searching for something, but this time, instead of searching for Yoh he would be searching for something else, something dangerous. It almost looked like anything could hurt Yoh. Like anything could send him into a state just like the one from that day at the movies.

Maybe it could. Anna didn't know anything about what happened to the two of them after their parents' death. For all she knew, anything could set Yoh off. Maybe Hao really did have a reason to be worried. It was so hard trying to convince him to go, the way he was worried about Yoh and all.

She still remembered. About three weeks after Yoh and Hao told her about their parents' death. Anna was still a bit in shock. She could never imagine Keiko and Mikihisa, the people she saw as family, the two that she thought would be present at the day of her and Yoh's weeding, dead. And for 7 years! They were dead for so long and she knew nothing about it! They said it was sudden, no one expecting it to happen, but wouldn't give any details. Well, Hao wouldn't. Yoh would be in another world when she tried to bring up the subject.

And that was the reason why Hao was going. To visit their parents' grave. The anniversary of their death was close, and Hao visited their graves at every anniversary. Hao explained that it was the only day of the year that he visited their grave, and that he hadn't missed one anniversary. He was upset because now, living so far from Izumo, he wouldn't be able to visit their parents.

That was when Yoh suggested Hao leaving. Just for a day or two, to visit their grave and come back.

Needless to say Hao refused. More than refused. He stared at Yoh as if he was insane. Anna could see what he was thinking. Stay away from Yoh? Go away, to a different city? They were inseparable! And where would Yoh be? With those cops? Yoh, with them? No way he was going to let that happen!

Which led Anna to ask the question:

"Why don't you go as well, Yoh?"

Yoh looked at her, surprised, then looked sadly down. She knew that soon they would say those words.

"Yoh never visits our parent's grave." Hao explained, looking at his brother.

"Besides…" he looked up, trying to smile "I can't leave Tokyo."

"Why not?"

And you can guess their answer. Yep. They said those hateful words that Anna refused to think about.

To Hao the fact that Yoh couldn't leave Tokyo was just another reason to not go. Yoh said that he would be fine, but clearly Hao didn't believe him. Anna watched the twins without interrupting, knowing that if she did they would stop talking and she may miss the opportunity to get more answers.

Hao said he couldn't leave Yoh. He said he could never leave his little brother alone during the night of the anniversary of their parents death.

Yoh said that then he would go before the anniversary and come back at the day, arriving at Tokyo just during the afternoon.

Yoh also said that their parents needed Hao there, that it was something Hao really wanted to go visit them and that Yoh didn't want to stop his brother.

"I don't want my problems to destroy your life, Hao." Was what Yoh said. And that got Hao mad.

"They are _our_ problems, Yoh!" Hao was angry "I'm here to protect you! I'm here because I love and care for you, Yoh! You are _not_ destroying my life! But my life will be destroyed if something happens to you!" Anna had never seen Hao so angry before. And at Yoh! His dear little brother! Hao never yelled at Yoh! It was like… Like the sun turning purple! Hao would never do that to his little brother. "Besides, I can't leave you with those idiots, you know that! If I'm not there, who knows what they'll do!"

"Hao, please…"

"No Yoh. I'll stay with you."

"Yoh can stay at my house." She said. Both twins looked at her, almost as if they had forgotten that she was there. If it was in a different situation, she would be ordering coffins for the two of them.

"What?" Hao asked.

"It's not like there is no room." She shrugged "Yoh can stay with me, at my house. You know Amidamaru, Ryu, Mosuke and everyone. And they know Yoh. We'll take care of him." She looked at him and could see that he was confused. Sure, who wouldn't be? Having his twin brother and his girl… his best friends, discussing where he where he would sleep. It sounded like a custody battle, almost. "Besides, I agree with you. Yoh can't stay with those three. I can't trust him with them."

"I'm still not going." Hao said, crossing his arms, stubbornly.

"Oh yes, you are." She wanted to spend some time alone with Yoh.

"Nii-chan, there is no reason for you not to go." Yoh stood up and put his arm around Hao's shoulder. "You go, stay there for two, three nights, and come back at the anniversary. We get you at the station and then we spend the night together, like always."

"Yoh…"

"Please Hao." And Yoh looked into his brother's eyes. Hao stared back. And Anna knew that they were having one of their private conversations. She knew Yoh was saying something serious, because Hao's expression turned to panic. "See?"

"Fine…" he bit back his lip and looked at his younger brother, who smiled sadly. They were obviously already nervous and afraid. They were never apart. This was going to be the first time.

It was scary, to say the least.

And today he was leaving. The only tickets that Kino and Yohmei found was for a train that today and Hao could only come back in a week. That was about two days before the anniversary. Hao almost gave up, saying it was not worth it, leaving for a week if he wouldn't even be able to stay there for their anniversary, but Yoh made him change his mind. Yoh said it would actually work out better, so they could spend the entire anniversary together instead of just the night.

Today Hao was leaving and Yoh was coming to her house. She would pick the twins up at their house, wait for Hao's train to leave and then come back to the mansion. Simple enough, right?

But it seems time is not cooperating. She still had… 45 minutes?!

That's it. They were going to leave early. She couldn't wait 45 minutes.

She called Amidamaru and told him that they were leaving. They would get them now and would wait in the train station.

Needless to say the traffic light decided to tease her again. Amidamaru said it didn't took too long, but Anna knew they waited at least 20 minutes in each traffic light they passed. Maybe the traffic lights and time decided to unite as a team and torture her.

Someone would pay for that.

When she arrived at the Inn Yoh and Hao were sitting at the living room. Yoh was smiling at his brother, saying everything would be okay, and Hao was… Well, he didn't seem too confident. It seemed like this time instead of Hao supporting Yoh it was the other way around.

Yoh noticed his brother wasn't okay and putted his arm around his shoulders, still smiling.

"Relax Onii-chan. Everything will be fine. You'll be okay and…"

"I'm more worried about you, Yoh."

"Don't worry." Anna said, walking up to them "Yoh is already 17 years old. He can take care of himself."

Yoh smiled at that.

"Hey Anna! You're early!" he would usually stand up to talk to her, but not today. Anna could see Yoh was still trying to reassure his older brother. And Hao seemed he didn't want Yoh to leave his side until it was necessary.

Now if that was for Yoh or for himself, Anna couldn't know.

"He may be 17, but you don't understand how important small details are. You have no idea what can happen if I don't look out for him!"

"Nii-chan… You don't need to look out for me." Yoh had a sad smile.

"Yes, I do, Yoh." Hao looked at him "You know why."

"I don't." Anna crossed her arms "And since apparently I will have to take care of Yoh as if he was a small snow flake in a tropical country, why don't you explain it to me?"

They both looked at each other. Only this time was different. Hao seemed to want to answer. He wanted to say something, but clearly Yoh didn't want him to say anything. Yoh didn't want Anna to know whatever they were hiding, while Hao seemed willing to explain if it meant that Anna would take care of Yoh properly.

"Next Question." Yoh said, before Hao could say anything.

She looked at Hao who was still staring at Yoh in shock. It was clear that they hadn't finished their private conversation, and that Yoh said that before they could reach an agreement.

She could kill him. She was so close of gaining another clue to their mystery and he says those two hateful words that should be banned.

"Ah… Anna!" she heard a female voice calling. It was one of the three idiots that took care of them "What are you doing here?"

"I'm taking Hao to the train station and then Yoh to my house." That was odd. Why did she say that? Of course she knew that they were coming with her today, right?

"Yes… I wanted to talk to you about that." She looked at the twins and then at Anna. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"What?"

Anna could see Hao rolling his eyes and Yoh staring at them curiously.

"You see… I don't think Yoh should leave and…"

"He shouldn't leave." Came a second cop. Anna silently thanked God it wasn't Weird Mustache Guy.

"Why not?" Anna asked.

"We have to take care of him." Answered the tall skinny cop. "We can't let you take him away for so long."

"Yes, you can." Hao finally spoke, making everyone look at him. He stood up, his grabbing Yoh and a coat and walked towards Anna "I have to go visit my parents' grave, and I can't bring Yoh with me, so he stays with Anna."

"Hao, we can take care of him while you're away." The woman said.

Hao only laughed at that.

"Yeah, right!" he said, his voice full of sarcasm. "You think I would let Yoh alone with you for a week? Without me near to check what you're doing to him? I haven't forgotten what happened last time we let him alone with you and the rest of the cops and doctors! Do you really think I would risk losing him again?" no one answered "Yeah, I didn't think so."

Anna looked at Yoh, as if asking what the hell he was talking about. Yoh only opened an apologetic smile. She knew he wouldn't explain why Hao said those words.

"If I'm going, which I am, I need to leave Yoh with someone who I really trust." Hao walked towards the door, dragging Yoh with him "And that's Anna!"

They stayed quiet. To Anna, it almost seemed like they were guilty. And Hao's words kept repeating inside her mind. What had happened to Yoh? It wasn't the first time Hao said that he didn't want to lose him again. Clearly that _lose_ did not mean that Yoh died, but something that maybe was almost as bad. Something terrible had happened to Yoh, she knew that for sure, but now it seemed that these cops had something to do with it. Like they were the reason Yoh was the way he was.

If that was the case, Anna agreed with Hao. Yoh shouldn't stay near those guys if he was alone.

"We're leaving." Hao declared, getting his bag and finally letting go of Yoh's arm. Yoh waved his hand with a smile, saying good bye and Anna just silently followed them, still deep in thought.

Amidamaru was still waiting for them, ready to go. They entered the car and Amidamaru, again, started to embarrass Anna. This time he was talking about a time when Anna was little, before moving to Izumo, and how when Mari, one of the maids and at nannies, would give her a bath Anna would scream and run around the house, with no clothes. Hao and Yoh were giggling, trying hard not to laugh. They both valued their lives.

Amidamaru, thought, didn't value his.

They arrived at the train station just in time. Amidamaru was about to tell another embarrassing story.

"We're here Amidamaru, you can stop talking now." Anna ordered as soon as the car stopped.

"But you still have half an hour, Anna-dono!" Amidamaru said "Don't you want to stay and…"

"No." her reply was short and to the point. She opened the door and stepped out of the car.

Yoh and Hao followed her out.

They sat on a bench, close to the rail road. Yoh and Hao sat very close to each other and didn't say anything at all. They just stared straight forward, lost on their own thoughts. Not that Anna was complaining. She liked silence. She enjoyed it. And in this case, she knew they needed it.

"Anna…" Hao called, in a low voice. Anna looked at him and then noticed that Yoh's head was resting on his shoulder, and that he was sleeping. He probably just feel asleep a few minutes ago.

So the nightmares haven't started yet.

"What?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the sleeping twin.

"Please, take very good care of him."

"I will."

"No, you don't understand." That got her eyes to move from Yoh's face to his "I need you to pay very close attention to him. Give me any drawings of his and pay close attention to him. Make sure he is eating right. If you look at him and he seems a bit too deep into his own thoughts, his eyes a bit dull or as if he is thinking about something in the past, start talking to him about something. Doesn't matter what. And if he is too silent too. Make sure he goes to sleep. And when outside always pay attention to the people around you and to Yoh's face. If he seems like he is worried about something take him out of there and distract him. And if you notice someone is looking too much at him, drag him out of there." Hao paused to take a breath "Punch them if needed, I don't care. If someone is looking at him for too long, just make sure that person stays away from him!"

Anna wondered if that included Tamao as well.

"I'm serious Anna. I need you to take very good care of him!" he looked down at his brother, his eyes sad "I can't lose him…"

Anna knew that she wasn't suppose to hear that, so she decided not to say anything.

"Nii-chan…" they heard Yoh call in a sleepy voice. Yoh stood up and rubbed his eyes.

They looked at each other with sad reassuring smiles. One trying to give strength to the other. Anna could see that the two of them were nervous and scared and that they needed some time alone. It was the first time they were going to be separated. She could only imagine how scary it must be, being separated from your only family and the only person who you've seen every single day of your life.

Yes, they needed to be left alone. So she stood up and went to the car. She could wait for Yoh there.

It took ten minutes before Yoh came back, his eyes a bit red from crying. He was sniffing and Anna couldn't help but noticed how terrible he looked. His skinny unhealthy body, pale, the dark circles under his eyes that only showed how he needed to sleep, and the feeling that something terrible had happened. That plus the tears he was fighting back, the same tears she knew Hao was holding back in the train, made Anna's heart hurt.

And right now he was only crying because his brother was going away. She didn't know what happened to him, but she knew it was way more serious than just a simple good bye. She could only imagine how he suffered, and how it must have been for Hao to watch him suffer, watch him getting to this condition.

At the moment she saw him like that Anna decided that she never wanted to see Yoh suffer again.

**Yes! Here! Finally! Sorry it took so long, but now I promise I'll try to update faster! Yes, sadly Hao won't be here next chapter… But there will be the scenes many of you were waiting for! No, not the scene where you found out what happened to them, but some YohXAnna scenes! Yes, next chapter will be a YohXAnna chapter! =D But don't worry, it won't be a filler, that will be some "clues" to what happened to Yoh and Hao after Anna left. **

**Oh! And just so you know… Next Chapter will be the YohXAnna chapter, then Hao will be back, and then it will be the chapter you are waiting for! Yes, Chapter 8!! =DD Soon! It's coming! And if you guys send a lot of reviews I'll update faster!**


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

The ride home wasn't silent at all. She was expecting Yoh to be too sad to talk to anyone at the moment, but she was wrong. Apparently she didn't know Yoh as well she thought. He and Amidamaru kept the whole way back.

But Anna could see that Yoh missed his brother. While Amidamaru told stories about how Anna once peed in bed Yoh would laugh and say something about Hao. Sometimes it was what Hao would think about it, other times would of something the three of them did together. But nothing about what Hao did in the last 7 years. No, Yoh wouldn't say anything about it.

It was clear for Anna that he was trying to distract himself. She could see that right now he was trying hard not to think about the fact that his brother just left him, that he was trying to hide how scared and hurt he was, and that he was trying not worry Anna and Amidamaru.

And that was the only reason why she wasn't killing him for laughing at Amidamaru's stories. If it wasn't for the fact that he was clearly upset, Anna would have killed him.

They arrived at the mansion just to find Mosuke, Ryu, Marion, Matilda and Kanna were waiting for them outside.

"Yoh-sama!" Ryu greeted, his arms open wide. Anna stared in disbelief. As if Amidamaru's stories weren't enough to embarrass her. "We are so happy you're going to spend time with us!"

"I'm happy to be here too, Ryu." Yoh smiled. Amidamaru got his bags for him and went inside.

"We have been preparing for this the entire week!" Mosuke said, coming close to the two of them and putting one arm around Yoh's shoulder "Macchi, Mari and Kanna prepared the best room of the house for you, and Ryu will cook your favorite meal!"

"Thanks." Yoh opened a wide grin, making Anna blush.

Not because she thought it was cute and because her heart was beating kind fast standing by his side and looking at that beautiful smile up close. No, she wouldn't blush because of that! Please, she is not in love with Yoh. She was blushing because… because she was angry! Yes, that's it! Angry because everyone was making such a big deal of Yoh staying with them! It was annoying and embarrassing and that made her angry! That was it!

"Come on Yoh, let's get out of here before he gives a speech on how much cleaning products Macchi, Mari and Kanna used." She grabbed his hand a dragged him inside the house.

Anna didn't expect his hand to be so soft, considering how skinny he was. She didn't expect her heart to beat faster and didn't expect that she would like the feeling of his hands on hers so much.

What was wrong with her? Why did she always felt like that when she was around Yoh? Was it like this when she was a kid too?

"Ne, Anna, where am I going to sleep?" Yoh asked, taking her out of her thought. "Are you going to show my room?"

She couldn't help but smile.

"Not yet, Yoh. I have something I want you to know something before seeing your room."

He only looked at her confused. And Anna had to admit, he looked kind of cute like that.

She took him upstairs, up to her room and opened the door. It was empty, the floor was covered, and by one of the walls, the one to the left of the door, there were buckets of paint and some pencils.

"What is all this?" he asked, looking at Anna.

"I did say I hated my room." She went inside the room and walked to the center, her arms crossed. "I want you to paint something."

"What?"

"On that wall." She pointed to the wall where the buckets of paint were "My bed stays on this wall, and I want the wall that faces my bed to have something on it. You chose what. I don't care. Just do something."

"I… I never painted a wall." Anna didn't like the look he gave her. He looked at her as if she was crazy. She was not crazy. She wanted her damn wall painted and she wanted Yoh to do it! That did not make her crazy!

"I don't care." Yoh was now facing the wall he would paint. "I want you to paint it. I don't care if it takes more than a week. I want you to paint that wall."

And if he painted that wall, Hao couldn't keep it. This would be the drawing Yoh made for her and that she would keep it.

"Now, let's go see your room."

Anna was careful selection Yoh's room. She wanted Yoh to have the best Guest Room they had, but at the same time she didn't want it to be very far from her own room. Both the one she would be staying until her wall was finished and the one he was going to paint. She knew Yoh had trouble sleeping. She knew it had something to do with his parents' death. She noticed at school that his nightmares were getting worse, and she noticed that his drawings were getting darker.

She knew he would get worst. Anna was expecting him to have trouble sleeping. And Hao, the one who she saw many times at class comforting him after his nightmares and who she did not doubt also helped him at night, was far away. It would be the first time he would sleep away from his twin. She wanted him to be close to her, in case he had a nightmare or he had trouble sleeping, he could just walk across the hall and the two of them could talk. While watching the stars. And he would put his arm around her… And Anna would say that he could always trust her… And he would say he does…

Yeah, like that would happen. She knew the probabilities of him coming to her because of his lack of sleep or because of his nightmares were close to none. Anna was not stupid. She was dreamer, but not stupid. She knew if Yoh had a problem he would either call Hao or try to draw something. That's why she wanted his room to be close to the one with the white walls. In case he wanted to draw something, he could just go to her room and start to paint.

After showing him his room and helping him unpack, the two of them went to the balcony, to watch the stars that were starting to show. Yoh had a huge smile on his face, one that reminded Anna of the time the two of them were kids, before what happened seven years ago.

She remembered the time when the two of them would play at the park, with Marion, Macchi and Kanna watching over them. Yoh would run around, holding Anna's hand and dragging her around. The two of them would sometimes go to the woods that was close to the playground, and would only go back once they heard the Marion, Macchi and Kanna calling for them.

Anna remembered one summer day, where Yoh dragged her to the middle of the woods, and helped her climb a tree. Then they both stood up and looked down on everything. Yoh kept smiling the entire time, and Anna imagined herself as a queen, Yoh her king, and below her, on the dirt, would be her kingdom. They talked for a long time, which surprised Anna, because Yoh liked to play more than talk. And then the stars started to appear. He got excited, saying that this was the best view he ever got of the stars…

And then he ruined the moment by saying he needed to show Hao this later. Anna got so mad that she pushed him off the tree. She wanted that to be their secret tree, their castle. She didn't want Hao to know about it.

And right now, up in that balcony, looking up at the few stars, and down at the garden and the neighbors' yards, Anna felt just like she did back at that tree. She was a Queen and Yoh… Yoh was her king.

Not that she liked him a romantic way, enough to marry him! No! She didn't like him that way. Even if she was a bit red now because of the thought… It did not mean that she loved him! No! He was only her childhood fiancée and her current best friend! That was it!

Besides, it's not like Hao would let the two of them have some privacy if they were in relationship.

"I can't see her yet…" Yoh's voice brought her back to reality. Her? Who was she? Who he couldn't see?

"Who are you talking about Yoh?" It's not that Anna is jealous is just… She wants to know who she is. Who he is looking for. And why is he looking for her? He shouldn't know anyone around there! What if it is Tamao? No way Anna will let that girl close to Yoh during this week.

"The star that I like." He continued to look up, a slight frown on his face "I finally named her, I wanted to show you… But I can't see her."

"Why do you talk about it as if it was a woman?"

He grinned.

"Because I gave her a woman's name! It would be weird calling her him with the name I chose!"

Should have guessed it. Yoh wasn't exactly the person who would come up with the most beautiful or weird logics to explain why he did something. No, it would be just something simple that you couldn't argue with.

Not fun at all, in Anna's opinion.

"You really like that stupid star."

"She is not stupid!" Yoh looked at her "She is amazing! She is strong and beautiful and when I look at her, I feel so good… I feel amazed by her. Every time I look at her I see something new that I love about it. When I feel lonely I will look at her, and when I miss you or Hao, I just look up and I know I'm not alone. She is always there for me, even if I won't tell her everything."

"That's a lot to say about one stupid star." Why did he talk about her, it! Why did he talk about it as if it was a big deal? It's just a stupid star. She is too far away and if he came close to her he would get killed. It doesn't even know he exists! It's not even alive! It's just a stupid star… He can't have her. Soon she will die and he won't even notice when she disappears from the sky. Maybe she is already dead but the light is still travelling.

He should stop dreaming about the stupid star and find himself a real girlfriend. One with a pulse. That cared for him and did not have pink hair. She had to be blonde. And her parents have to be really rich. And her name should start with an A, so when they get married her initials would be A.A.

And no, Anna is not describing herself. She is just thinking about the perfect woman for Yoh, and maybe she does look a lot like Anna and share many characteristics, but that does not mean it's her! Anna does not like him that way.

"She is not stupid." He said again, this time with a smile that made Anna's heart skip a beat. No, she does not like him that way. She does not… Maybe just a little, but only because of their past together, and that was it! Nothing really that romantic.

"Say whatever you want, it's still just a star." Anna had to look away. She didn't know why, but she had to.

"She is not just a star…" he looked up at the sky "I bet in the middle of the night the view from here is amazing."

"It is."

"I wish I could show Hao, he would love to see it."

That idiot always found a way to spoil the moments, didn't he? Even if he was in another city he would always find a way… Anna would have to deal with that later.

After some time looking at the view from the balcony, Anna and Yoh went downstairs to eat dinner. Ryu had prepared all of Yoh's favorite foods from when they were kids. He kept going on and on about how every time he cooked those he would remember him and Hao, and how the two of them were so close friends with Anna. He would also keep talking about how after they moved Anna would never try to make friends, saying she only needed the two of them, and how when she was little she would say that Yoh was hers and hers only.

And if that wasn't enough, Macchi, Marion and Kanna instead of setting the table on the one they normally ate, they prepared a table for two at the patio on the back of the house. And there were candles. And if that wasn't enough, during the dinner someone, probably Mosuke, turned on a radio that only played romantic songs, mostly violin or sometimes some really old slow songs that people would dance too. And there was a time when played _Kiss the Girl_ from that stupid Disney movie that Anna never liked.

Yoh laughed silently the entire time. Anna was planning 6 murders.

"I'll kill them for this…" she said under her breath. Yoh only laughed.

"It's not that bad…"

"I'll still kill them." She didn't look at him straight in the eye. It was way too embarrassing.

"They are just trying to do us a favor."

"That's something they should do to people who are a couple, not people who are just friends like us." There was an awkward silence. Yoh looked down at his food, and she noticed he wasn't eating. What Hao had said earlier in the day suddenly came back to her mind.

"Eat it, Ryu will be very sad if we take too long." And with that he started eating. Weird… It was like he needed someone to tell him to eat so he could do it, like he wouldn't even realize that he needed to do so if Anna hadn't said anything.

"They must have done this many times, right?" Yoh asked, reaching over to his ice tea… Which instead of being on normal glasses, Ryu putted in glasses of wine. Apparently all the normal glasses were on the dishwasher.

She would definitely kill them.

"What do you mean? This only their sick twisted idea of a romantic dinner."

"I mean… They must have done it for you and your past boyfriends, right?" he smiled sweetly, but Anna could see that it wasn't a happy Yoh smile. That it was forced. Almost like he didn't like the subject too much.

"I have no past boyfriends. Only you, if that counts." Why was she blushing? She didn't have a reason to blush! Why was that happening?

"Really?" somewhat he looked relieved.

"Like Ryu said, I had no interest in meeting other people." A pause "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Any… Girlfriends?" she would have to research their name and address and send a message saying that unless they were blonde, their name started with an A, they had rich parents, they were his best friend and they really truly cared for him, Anna would not allow them close to Yoh.

He laughed.

"I was homeschooled, remember? We don't have any friends besides you and the others." Great… So he referred to the Pirika and her stupid friends as his friends. And that included Tamao.

"But there must be some people in Izumo who you talked to. It's not a big city."

He smiled sadly.

"I haven't really talked to anyone for the past 7 years…"

"Why?"

He was going to answer. Anna was sure of it. He was going to answer her question, even if it was only a sentence that didn't explain much. He was going to! But then Mosuke went to the patio, holding a wireless phone, interrupting the moment which Anna would get clue to the Asakura Twins Mystery and maybe it would lead to something romantic. Something really romantic, not something like that stupid dinner that they were having.

Not that Anna wanted to be romantic… She didn't like him that way. It was just… The songs and everything! Yes, those things were messing with her head!

"Hao is on the phone, he wants to speak with Yoh right now."

How the hell did he do that?! Did he have some weird power that allowed him to spy on the two of them, so every time he saw something was going to happen he would do something to interrupt? Even if he wasn't around?! Maybe sometimes he would send his spirit to Yoh's, or use their twin power and make Yoh say his name so it would ruin the moment! Or in times like this one, he would call or show up out of nowhere! That would explain a lot of things…

She would have to add someone else to the list of victims.

"Nii-chan!" Yoh answered happily on the phone, with a huge smile on his face "Calm down…! Calm down Hao..! I'm okay, don't worry! Yes, I'm eating right, don't worry… I can take care of myself, nii-chan." He sighed "Yes, Anna is taking good care of me." And then a long pause "No, everything is fine, don't worry. How are grandpa and grandma?" a sad smile "Yes… Yes…"

She should have guessed. Anna should have guessed Hao would call every time he got a chance. She should have expected that. Hao, the overprotective big brother, away from his precious little brother for a week, and she thought he wouldn't call? That was stupid of her. She should have known better.

Hao didn't let Yoh hang up for the rest of dinner. Yoh would only nod and answer when he asked questions. It was quite annoying. Yoh would smile apologetic, knowing that he was being rude.

By dessert Hao wanted to talk to Anna, which surprised her.

"This better be good."

"_Are you taking care of Yoh?" _asked the voice coming from the phone.

"After talking to Yoh all this time you still ask this stupid question?" she would kill him. She would definitely kill him.

"_Are you?_"

"No, I'm starving him to death and I'm going to make him sleep in the patio." It was such a stupid question that deserved a stupid answer.

"_Don't joke or I'll be there in a few hours._"

"He is fine. Hao, he is not a little kid."

"_Where is he going to sleep? Make sure he does sleep! Sometimes he stays up all night or wakes up at night… Maybe he will have terrible nightmares or sometimes night terrors… You have to make sure he gets enough sleep. And it has to be a dreamless sleep!"_

"What do you want me to do? Drug him?" And there was a silence on the other end of the line. "Hao, you give Yoh sleeping drugs?!"

"_Medication._" Hao corrected "_And is not like I give to him every night! His nightmares sometimes are so bad that he only survives on naps… He needed something to help him have a dreamless sleep, so sometimes I give him some medication and…_"

"You want me drug Yoh?!" Anna looked at the younger twin, who was staring at her in surprise.

"_Only if need it! He gives me no other choice! Sometimes he just will refuse to sleep, so I put on his drink… But is not something that happens every day! Only about once every two months or in case of emergencies."_

"So you drug him? And now you want me to do the same? And you will put in his drink, do you want me… Does he even know you do that?" again, there was a pause "Hao!"

"_He is aware that I do it sometimes, but I don't tell him when I do. He just realizes the next day after having a good night of dreamless sleep after God knows how long!" _And that is a good reason for drugging him? "_There are people who take those medications every day for less than Yoh! He has a real reason to take those and he doesn't even take it every day! I don't need to hear it that is wrong. I know how to take care of my little brother!"_

"It is wrong!" Anna yelled into the phone. Hao was even crazier than she thought!

"_I don't want to lose him, Anna! For all I know, anything can take him away from me! If one day those nightmares are worst than ever he might go back into…" _a pause "_I just can't lose him, Anna. Not now that he is begging to be happy and be the Yoh he was before."_

"Are his nightmares that bad?"

"_Next Question."_

She hung up. Yoh apologized for his brother and the rest of the rest of the dessert was normal. The employees continued playing those stupid romantic songs, making everything a bit awkward. And after dinner the two of them watched TV.

And that was Yoh's first night at her house. They went to bed about midnight… Anna needed to show Yoh again the entire second floor so he wouldn't get lost in case he got out of his room in the middle of the night.

They said their goodnights and sweet dreams and went to the separate bedrooms. Yoh had trouble sleeping but Anna…

She had a dream about Yoh. Yes, Anna had a dream about Yoh. But that doesn't mean anything! So she dreamt about him… That the two of them were married and had an Inn… But that doesn't mean that she likes him! And so what that Yoh said that he loved her in the dream? In no way did that reflect Anna's wishes. No, she did not want him to say he loves her. That's just stupid. And she does not want the two of them to get married.

And just because when she woke up she was disappointed to find out it was all a dream it does not mean that she liked the dream! No!

After getting dressing herself she opened the door and walked straight to Yoh's room. She knocked on the door. Once… Twice... Three times... Four times… Five times… Six…

After that she just barged into the room… And he wasn't inside. She lost Yoh. Oh God, she lost Yoh. Hao was going to kill her! What if he got lost and end up walking off a balcony and…

"Anna?" she turned around only to see Yoh, standing at the door of the room "Is something wrong?"

He was still wearing the clothes from the day before, and Anna could see that the semicircles under his eyes were darker. She could also see the paint on his hands. You didn't need to be a genius to figure out that Yoh had spent the night painting her wall.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" For some reason the phone conversation with Hao came back to her mind.

"Well… I tried, but I had some trouble… So I started to work on your wall…"

"And how is it so far?" she crossed her arms. She had to make sure he was going to sleep tonight. If a person stays 5 days without sleeping before starting to feels it's damages… Maybe even less. And Anna knew scientists estimate a human being can only live about 11 days without sleeping. No doubt the naps Yoh took during class were keeping him healthy.

"It's… okay… I hope you'll like it." He smiled.

"Well, let me see if I like it so far." And with that she was going to come out of the room. She was going to but…

But he stepped in front of her, blocking her exist.

"Y-Yoh!" she was red. Why was she red? She had no reason to be red! Yoh was such an idiot.

"I don't want you to see it yet!" he was also red "I want it to be a surprise!"

She looked at him, then sighed.

"Fine."

Hao called again during breakfast, which was, again, in the patio. But this time instead of candles and romantic music they putted a lot of flowers on the table and around the patio. Anna had never seen so many different flowers in together in a space of the size of her patio. And if that wasn't enough, they brought her parents' old water fountain, the one they only used on special occasions when they wanted to impress people, and turned on. Again, a twisted idea of romantic breakfast.

They didn't really value their lives.

And Hao didn't value his either, apparently. He yelled at Anna for letting Yoh stay up all night. He also yelled at Yoh, but mostly at Anna. He said he trusted her to take care of his brother, and if this night Yoh didn't sleep well he would come back.

Of course that made Anna angry. Yoh wasn't a baby anymore yet Hao treated him like one. It was annoying. And then saying that Anna couldn't be trusted around Yoh! Why that little… She was going to kill him. Kill him along with Amidamaru, Mosuke, Ryu, Macchi, Mari and Kanna.

So that night Anna made sure he went to sleep. Yoh complained a little. But after receiving a slap from her, he stayed quiet. It took a few hours, and during while they waited for Yoh to get sleepy they talked. No, not about what happened during the past 7 years, unfortunately. They talked about Hao, school and… Tamao.

Yoh wanted to know why she hated her so much. Was he really that stupid? Couldn't he see that she liked him? Couldn't he see how she flirted with him _every time they saw each other_? Couldn't he see how she blushed and tried to act all cute and sweet for him? Didn't that make him sick?

When she explained that to Yoh he blushed. No, really, he blushed. Why the hell was he blushing? Did he liked her too? Did he care for her or liked the idea of the two of them being together? Well, too bad, because Anna was not going to let that happen. The perfect girl for Yoh was one that cared for him and did not have pink hair. She had to be blonde. And her parents have to be really rich. And her name should start with an A, so when they get married her initials would be A.A. And Tamao was not that girl.

When Anna told him she would never let him date Tamao, he asked her if she was jealous. Jealous? Of course not! She was not jealous! Just because she didn't like Tamao flirting with him did not mean that she was jealous! She was not! Really! Why would she be jealous? She was not jealous! And her cheeks were red because she was angry! Not because she liked him that way.

And of course, when she denied Yoh only laughed and teased her. He only stopped when she punched him.

The sleeping drug didn't seem like such a bad idea.

And that's how their week was. Yoh had trouble sleeping, so Anna would stay in the room with him until he fell asleep. Of course, he wouldn't stay like that for long. Without Hao around to make sure he slept the entire night, after 2 or 3 hours he would wake up and go to Anna's room to work on the wall. But that was okay. He would take some naps during the day, so Hao didn't yell as much as he did. He called about 10 times a day to check up on Yoh. No kidding, 10 times a day, and sometimes he called around 2 AM just to make sure Yoh was sleeping.

Besides the sleeping problem Yoh also sometimes got really quiet. It scarred Anna a little. She remembered what Hao said, that if Yoh got really quiet, try to distract him. Hao had explained that Yoh was a quiet person and he probably would not say too much, but to never let him in silence for too long.

Anna knew that Yoh was a quiet person. She figured that out months ago. Hao did most of the talking, Yoh would always stay back, with a small smile and only speaking when spoken to. She only figured that's how he was, but apparently there was more to it than she thought. And when she asked Hao why he was like that his answer was made up of only two words: Next and Question.

And when she asked why she needed to distract Yoh, he only said "I don't want to lose him again."

Yes, like that answered her question.

And right now Anna was sitting on her bed, waiting for Yoh to finish his shower and get dressed so they could go out and eat something. No, it was not a date. Only that the next day they would pick Hao up on the train station. Which meant that Yoh would go back to the Inn. It was his last night there, so they wanted to eat out. Sure, Ryu's food was better than most restaurants, but it was not the same. Eating out instead of eating at home, it didn't make it feel special… Plus, Anna couldn't take another romantic dinner.

So yeah, it wasn't a date. It wasn't. It really wasn't. No reason for her heart to be beating fast or for her cheeks to be all red. She didn't like him that way. She really didn't. The reason why she was loving spending time with him, loved looking at him, loved when he smiled for her and felt like there was no one but the two of them in the world was because he was sleeping at her house! Nothing else! There was no reason why she wanted to kill Hao for calling every time they were alone. No reason at all! She didn't like him. She loved talking to him and how he cared about everything and everyone, but that did not mean that she was in love. It did not.

"Hey, Anna…" Yoh opened the door and popped his head inside the room. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." She stood up. "Let's go."

"Yes… But first… Can I show you something?" he looked nervous. Why was he nervous.

She didn't say anything, just got out of the room and waited for him to show her whatever it was.

"Close your eyes." He said, smiling and she glared at him "Just do it!"

"Fine." She crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Then she felt his hands covering her eyes.

No, her heart was not beating fast. And she wasn't blushing! She wasn't, she really wasn't!

Anna had no idea where Yoh was taking her. She heard a door opening and noticed that the two of them entered a room. They continue to walk and Yoh turned her to the left.

"Okay…" his hands left her eyes. "Open your eyes…"

And she did. And what she saw was the wall, the one Yoh worked on all week. It was… Beautiful. He painted the entire wall… It was a night scene, with the ocean and some rocks, but not a beach. No, instead the surface of the ocean was in the middle of the wall, and he painted the waves and some rocks to the side close to the balcony. And is not what you would expect, just the waves crashing on the rocks. No, instead, he painted what was under the sea. Fishes, turtles, many other aquatic animals… And above the sea was the night sky… He drew a full moon, and even the reflection on the water… And there was one star, that seemed to be really important.

It was perfect… In the painting you could see two different worlds, the sky and the ocean, living at the same time almost oblivious to each other.

"Yoh…"

"I stayed up most of the night yesterday finishing it…" He smiled "I worked on it for hours every day, and it's not that good, I could put some finishing touches but…"

"No, don't do anything to it." She continued to look in amaze. Every morning she would wake up and see that wall…

"That star over there…" he pointed to the star "See it?"

"Yes."

"It's my star. The one I love." He had to say it. "I love that star so much I had to put it on the wall… She is my star, and when I feel lonely or sad I just look at her and I feel better. She is amazing, every time I look at her I feel amazed, like every time I see her or talk to her I find something new that I like about her. Even thought I know she is not perfect, and that she has many…" he laughed "_many_ flaws, I still love her. Those flaws only make her perfect in my eyes."

"It's just a stupid star, Yoh." She crossed her arms. Why did he care so much about that star?

"You know what I named her?" he was still smiling.

"Nope. And I don't care. But I know you'll tell me anyway."

"I named her… Anna." He smiled. "Now when you feel lonely too and neither me or Hao are able to comfort you, you can always borrow my star and she will make you feel better. She sure did that to me. You can borrow Anna for when you're lonely."

And at that moment Anna knew it. Even if they were only friends and even if he was an annoying idiot who wouldn't tell her anything, she knew it and finally accepted it.

She love him.

**And Chapter 6 is over!!! I hope you all liked it… I had a lot of fun writing it. XD Some of you may have noticed that this chapter was longer than the others… Well, the reason is I knew how I wanted to end it, but I never found a good way to get there. I tried finishing it right after the dinner, but it didn't seem like a good time… Then right after I said Hao kept calling (Yes, even thought Hao wasn't physically on this chapter he still found a way to be involved. XD), but it also didn't seem right. So I just kept going until I found the right moment. Sorry for this ending, it may have been more romantic than I wanted… But I hope you don't mind. ^^" It was way too romantic and too stupid, I have no idea where that final speech from Yoh came from, but it did. I even thought about erasing it, but many of you would have killed me if I did that. XD **

**I think maybe the painting Yoh made may have been confusing… Well, it's like the surface of the ocean is on the middle of the wall, horizontally, and it's almost like a thin line, but a wavy… And below that line it's under the ocean, and above it it's the sky. The rocks are showed both above the ocean line and below it…. I hope it's easier to understand it this way. ^^" When I was seven, in my dad's old apartment, me and my sister had two walls that were like that, with the ocean line (One on the wall where my bed was and the other where my sister's bed was), and I got the idea from that. ^^" I thought about doing just the sky, but that would be kind of boring… I wanted to have the Anna star, thought. **

**A special thanks to Sara and MiSs LiSsi LisS!!**

**Next Chapter Hao is back! XD**


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

The train was late. The train was 15 minutes late. And they arrived in the station half an hour before the time the train was suppose to arrive because Yoh was just too damn nervous, wanting to go earlier in case Hao was already there. That's 45 minutes waiting. 45 minutes, almost an hour!

Normally Anna wouldn't mind that much spending an hour alone with Yoh before his over protective brother came back and glued himself to Yoh. No, in fact she would even like it. Now that she finally admitted to herself that she loved Yoh, Anna wasn't afraid to accept the fact that she wanted to spent some time alone with him and have a romantic moment or two.

But these 45 minutes weren't anything like she pictured it. Not that she was imagining Yoh holding her hand, saying that the past week was the best week of his life and he realized he couldn't live without her. No, that would be just way too cheesy for her. Anna didn't want the two of them to be like those annoying couples that hold hands all the time and say stuff like "I love you, sweetheart" in a baby voice and the other would say "No, I love you more, pumpkin" and would continue like that oblivious to the fact that everyone around them wants to throw up.

No, what Anna wanted was the two of them sitting down, maybe holding hands or talking without noticing how much time has passed and then with Hao appearing out of nowhere and ruining their moment. Maybe Yoh talking about his star or just smiling at her, thanking for letting him stay at her house.

But no. Yoh was just too nervous. He looked at the clock every two seconds, walking around and looking at the train tracks. It was clear that he wanted to see his brother. That these minutes were just like hell to him. And the only thing that kept Anna amused, besides the fact that Yoh looked pretty cute when nervous, was imagining that Hao was like that as well, in the train. She could only imagine the poor passengers having to tolerate the Over Protective Big Brother Who Hasn't Seen His Fragile Little Brother In A Week Hao. Yes, that was a fun to imagine.

"Calm down Yoh, he's coming." He was looking at the clock again. "And when he does come back, we'll eat out, like I promised." He still didn't answer, just looked at the train tracks "We'll go to the restaurant we went yesterday, and then we'll eat ice cream in that place on the park that you like."

He finally looked at her, a nervous smile on his face.

"Do you think Hao will like that restaurant?"

"Yes."

Of course he would. Of course she knew he would. That was all Yoh talked about on their date yesterday. Hao, Hao, Hao. Not that Anna hated Hao. No, he was her best friend along with Yoh. It's just… Yoh hadn't mentioned him as much as she thought during the week, so she wasn't expecting his name to come up as much as it did. Yoh was only pretending to be okay with the situation, trying so hard not to talk about Hao, but he let all out on yesterday's date. It was Hao this, and Hao that. Hao will love this restaurant. Oh, Hao really likes this dish, but he hates that. This is so good, I wish Hao was here to taste it. This tea is perfect… But Hao would think it's too sweet. The food is delicious, I bet Hao would love it!

That's how it was their date. Well, maybe he tried to talk about something else. It's not like she was paying attention 100% of the time. She was still thinking about the revelation she had a few hours before. She loved him. Kyouyama Anna was in love with one of her best friends, who was extremely mysterious, had an annoying Pink haired girl also in love with him, didn't answer her questions, needed drugs so he could sleep, had a big secret, had a fragile emotional state and had an over protective big brother who didn't allow him to be by himself for 3 seconds.

Cupid has a twisted sense of humor.

Finally the train arrived. 45 minutes never seemed to take so long. Again, she should destroy time, traffic lights and everyone responsible for the train being late. Anna knew Yoh would ignore her while waiting for his brother, but she never expected him to be that nervous. Sometimes he would go so close to the train tracks that Anna thought he was going to fall. She almost had a heart attack! She really thought Yoh was going to fall and that the train would come and kill him.

She couldn't imagine that. Yoh, dead. When he stumbled that one time, so close to the track of the tracks… Those few seconds seemed like hours. It looked like Anna was seeing the scene frame by frame. And she could even see the future, with Yoh laying down on the tracks, trying to get up and Hao's train coming and running over him. And she could even imagine his bloody body, his lifeless eyes and his mouth slightly open as he tried to catch his last breaths. It was scary, to say the least.

Luckily her body reacted while she saw that terrible future. Her hand stretched out grabbed his wrist, pulling him to her. Yoh was surprised. It was clear to Anna that he didn't notice the danger he was in. Hadn't he realized he could die? What would Hao do if he saw his brother dead? What would Anna do?

"What…?" Yoh looked at her with those cute confused and curious eyes. And it was then that Anna noticed how close they were. Her face got red and her heart skipped a beat. Damn that cupid. He was also on her black list.

"You almost fell!" she yelled, finally after a few minutes. "Stop moving around, you can die, you know!"

And with she forced him to stay on the bench. And that's where they stayed until now, when the train arrived.

She could hear protests coming from the inside of the train as everyone stood up. Anna knew what had happen. Someone was pushing everybody out of the way, trying to get to the door first. And she knew who that person was. And when he appeared on the door, she could hear sighs of relief coming from the other passengers, proving that her theory about Hao bothering them was true.

"Yoh!!" Hao yelled from the door. Yoh stood up and was about to run to his brother, but Anna stopped him. No way was he going close to those tracks to meet his brother halfway. Let Hao come, Yoh stays there, where he luckily won't fall.

"Hao!" Yoh called as well, a huge smile now on his face. But he wouldn't go anywhere. Anna was still holding him down, forcing him to stay on the bench.

The older twin ran toward his brother and then hugged him. Finally Anna let go of Yoh, and he hugged his older brother. The two of them were fighting back the tears, having a humiliated defeat.

Sighing, Anna stood up and went to the car. She was going to wait with Amidamaru. Again, this was a private moment between Yoh and Hao. They needed some time alone. The two of them would probably hug then have one of those annoying private conversations. Hao would start asking many stupid questions out loud: Did they take good care of you? Did you get any sleep? How are you feeling? Any nightmares? Was Anna mean to you? Do you need something?

And Anna was not in the mood to hear those questions that implied that she couldn`t take care of the boy she loved. That implied Yoh couldn`t take care of himself. If she did hear those questions, she would punch him in the face and that would ruin the time the twin`s needed. They needed to be alone. They needed that time after spending a week away from each other, not one of them with a broken nose.

"Giving them some privacy?" Amidamaru asked, looking at his young master.

"They need that. You know those two." She answered, crossing her arms. Yes, the Asakura Twins were really weird.

"It's too bad that Yoh-dono won't be with us any longer… We'll miss him." Amidamaru said, looking down.

"Yeah, well… He needs to stay with his brother. And those three cops. I don't think they would let them stay with us without a good reason."

"Why are they taking care of Yoh-dono and Hao-dono anyway?"

Anna only shrugged in response. She didn't know the answer. She had no idea why they had to live with those idiots, why Yoh couldn't leave Tokyo, why Hao was so over protective. She only knew whatever the reason was, it was something big. Something she couldn't understand and something they didn't want people to know. It was something… Something that really screwed up their lives.

After a few minutes, the twins showed up, Yoh carrying Hao's bags. Well, not that Anna expected anything else. Hao was lazy, and even thought he was over protective of Yoh, some things never changed. When they were little and it was raining out, they would play board games inside. And when Ryu called them so they could eat lunch, Anna went first, then Hao forced Yoh to clean everything up and put the game on the right place. Hao would make Yoh carry their books to school and back home. Even thought now he was even more overprotective than before, he would still sometimes force Yoh to carry his stuff. Today, even thought it was a special occasion, it was no exception.

"Ready to go?" Anna asked, looking at the long haired twin.

"Yes!" Hao smiled and Amidamaru opened the back door so the three of them could enter. Yoh first, then Hao and then Anna. She sighed softly… She wanted to sit by Yoh. "Thank you for taking care of Yoh."

"He could take care of himself. Besides, it wasn't so hard." Anna answered, making Hao look at her.

"I was talking to Amidamaru. Because of you Yoh stayed a day without sleeping… Maybe even more! All because you refused to give him the sleeping medicine!"

"I wasn't going to drug Yoh!" How ungrateful can he be? Hao and his god complex and big brother complex seriously annoyed her sometimes "And Yoh can take care of himself! He is 17 years old! Not 7!"

"Well, you don't understand the situation! Yoh can take care of himself up to a point! And at any moment he may slip back…"

"I don't know the situation because you won't say a damn word about it!" Anna yelled back "If you guys told me what was going on, then maybe I would understand what you mean by Yoh not being able to take care of himself!"

"Well, Yoh can't! So deal with it!"

"Yes, he can!"

"No, he can't! I'm his big brother, I know him better than you do!"

"Well I…" she stopped herself. She almost said she loved him. Almost. It was on the tip of her tongue, wanting to get out, but she stopped. She caught herself just in time, just in time to say that she cared about him and wanted to know what was wrong. Luckily Yoh didn't notice that she had paused for a second, therefore he wasn't suspicious.

Hao on the other hand.

"I don't care. Yoh is…"

"Yoh is right here." Yoh said, sighing "Please, let's not fight, ok?" he looked at his brother, with a smile "We'll take you to a restaurant Anna likes, close by. We ate there yesterday."

"You two ate out?" Hao looked at Anna, his eyes wide. Anna had to look away.

He knew it. He knew about her feelings for his brother. And by the look on his face… He wasn't happy about it.

"So, did you draw anything while I was away? I need them all."

Oh. God. She had forgotten about that. Hao had asked Anna to give him all of Yoh's drawings. The thing was… Yoh only worked on one thing during the week: Her wall.

And she couldn't just give that wall to him.

"I don't have any drawings." Yoh answered, innocently.

"What do you mean you don't have any drawings?" Hao looked at Yoh surprised, and then at Anna angrily and back to Yoh "You draw every day! For the past 7 years hasn't been a day that you didn't spend at least one hour working on a drawing!"

"Well… I worked on something but…"

"But?!" Hao now looked at Anna "What does he mean with that?"

"He painted on my wall." Better to get this over with. Fast. Like a band-aid.

"What?!" Hao was furious. She could see the flames of fury burning inside his eyes "How am I going to get that wall?!"

"Simple: You aren't." stay cool and act like a grown up. He is the idiot, not Anna. "The wall stays in my room, and so does the painting."

"I need to see it. I need to know how he felt and…"

"I don't care. Take pictures if you want, but I'm not giving you my wall!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not! The wall stays in my room!"

And that's how the ride to the restaurant went: with Hao and Anna fighting about the wall and about how Anna treated Yoh while Hao was away. The thoughts that Anna had, that she missed Hao, her best friend, were all gone. She had forgotten how annoying the boy truly was.

But in a twisted way, it was kind of fun. It reminded Anna of long ago, when the two of them would fight about something stupid, and Yoh would be laughing at them, knowing something they didn't. In this case, they were discussing if Hao would or not take Anna's wall with him, not realizing that such a task was impossible. Yoh probably was laughing at their stupidity. Just like he did many times before when they were younger. Like he did the first time they met. The laugh that made them all friends.

"I'm going to hire someone to take that wall for me!" Hao yelled, getting out of the car.

"No you're not! That wall was there when I moved in and will continue there!" Anna yelled back, also going out of the car.

Yoh only laughed.

After eating at the restaurant the three of them walked to the park, to eat ice cream. Yoh, like always, didn't talk too much. Anna didn't say a lot either this time. They were only hearing Hao going on and on about how things were there in Izumo. He talked about how old and big the Asakura Mansion looked in comparison to the Inn they lived now, and how their grandparents were as strict as ever. Apparently the time Hao spent calling Anna and making sure Yoh was okay was supposed to be spent training.

Yes, training. He still had to train. He spent every single minute that he wasn't on the phone training. Hao said he was miserable, that it was worse than the training he had to endure when they were children. He told them that sometimes he even fought with Yohmei, because he refused to go on and hated being told what to do. Not that that surprised Anna. Hao was spoiled and did have a superiority complex. Maybe that was why he was always so calm and had so much patience. Why waste his time arguing with losers that were below him?

Somehow Anna didn't found hard to believe that Hao would think something like that.

"So they were mean to you, Hao?" Yoh asked, with a frown.

"Yes! This past week was like hell!" Anna smiled at that. Maybe it was wrong, but she felt like Hao having a bad week made up for all the embarrassing things her employees did. "And I wasn't with you, which made it even worse!"

"I missed you too, Hao." Yoh smiled.

"I didn't."

"Of course you wouldn't. Not when you have my brother all to yourself." That made her stop walking. He wouldn't… He wouldn't tell Yoh how she felt, right? Not that she was afraid he didn't feel the same way. No, it's just that she wanted to be the one to tell Yoh! Hao couldn't just open his big mouth and say something that had nothing to do with him.

Fortunately Yoh didn't understand, or at least pretended he didn't understand, the meaning behind those words.

"I don't know what you mean." Anna said, crossing her arms and looking straight at Hao.

"Yoh." Hao then turned to his brother, a smile on his face "Could you get a spot on the ice cream line for us?" Hao pointed at the small store that existed on the park, the one they were heading to. Because you couldn't see the inside of the store, there was no way of telling if the line was big or not. "We'll be right behind you. I'll keep my on you, don't worry."

Yoh looked around and then at his brother, with his eyebrows raised. Anna could imagine what he was telling Hao right now: Do you think I'm that stupid? I know you want to talk to Anna alone.

And with that, the two of them started having one of those private discussions again. Annoying, annoying, annoying. Anna sometimes hated when they did that, especially when it involved her!

"Fine." Yoh sighed, and then looked at Anna, smiling "I'll go ahead." And then he looked at Hao "It's safe right now, don't worry."

And with that, he left.

"What were you two talking about?" Anna asked, looking at Hao suspiciously.

"Doesn't matter." Doesn't matter? Was he stupid? Of course it mattered! And if it involved Anna, she sure would like to know what they were talking about!

"It does matter."

"No, it doesn't." he shook his head "I want to talk to you."

"Yeah, I figured."

"I'm serious." He looked at Yoh "I need to talk to you about your feelings."

"My feelings?"

"Yes." Now he was losing his patience "Your feelings! The ones you have for my brother!"

He didn't need to say it so loud. God was it loud. He practically screamed in the middle of the park that she had feelings for his brother. She could feel everyone looking at her. Yoh was already inside the store, which was a relief, but still! God, was it embarrassing.

He. Was. Dead. Meat.

"I don't have feelings for Yoh."

"Yes you do. You love Yoh."

"I don't love Yoh!"

"For how long now?"

"It's none of your business!"

"Yes, it is!" He let out a frustrated sigh, passing his fingers through his long hair. "I can't believe I didn't notice that before! I was so concentrated on Yoh's feelings and so worried about how he felt about you, that I completely forgot that you may also have feelings for him and…"

"Yoh has feelings for me?" Anna interrupted his rant. Yoh had feelings for her? The same feelings that she had for him? He… He loved her? And it was not something from, but for some time ago? Yoh… Yoh loved her?!

Hao stopped himself, realizing that he said too much. Well, it was about time for his big mouth to cause him problems instead of Anna.

"He may have…" Anna took that as a yes " But forget it, you two won't be together."

Wait… What did he say?

"That's for me and Yoh to decide, Hao." Anna crossed her arms. If he dared to do anything to stop them from being together… He was going to die. He really was. Anna would have no mercy.

"No, it's not." Obviously Hao had no idea who he was talking to. He was _not_ going to get between them "Because Yoh will not do anything."

"What?"

"He won't do anything. He won't make a move or anything, so forget it."

"If he won't make a move, then I will." Please… Things like that would not stop her. She always thought the idea of a man always being the first one to make a move so sexist.

"He will reject you." Hao said in a as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

"Why would he reject me?"

"Because he cares for you."

"That makes no sense."

"That's because you don't know our situation."

"Then tell me."

He looked at her as if she was insane.

"No!"

"Yes, tell me!" Anna was now angry "I'm involved in it too!"

"You're kidding, right?" She did not like being treated as a mental case "It has nothing to do with you!"

"Yes, it does!" Anna was so close to punching him "If the situation is getting in between me and Yoh, then it does! I have the right to know why we can't be together!"

"Forget it, I'm not telling you!"

"Why does Yoh have trouble sleeping?"

"Next Question."

"Why do you need his drawings?"

"Next Question."

"How did he get those scars?"

"Next… You saw his scars?!" Hao looked at her surprised. She only blused.

"Why does he have those scars?"

"Next Question."

"How did your parents die? Why do you have to live with those cops? What happened to Yoh that night at the movies?"

"Next Question."

That was really getting annoying. She hated those words. She really hated them. And now, if it wasn't enough that the Asakura Twins kept a secret from her, that secret was coming between her and Yoh! Anna would not allow it! She would figure out what happened. And she was going to do it now.

"Tell me. You said he cares about me. Why would that make him reject me?"

"He wouldn't want you to get involved, Anna." Hao sighed "He would want to protect you."

"Why would I need protection?"

Hao stayed silent.

"Tell me Hao. I see the way you treat Yoh, I see his behavior… I want to know. And if you don't tell me, I'll find other ways to figure it out."

He looked at her, without saying anything. Anna knew what he was doing. He was probably thinking the possibilities of her finding out on her own, and how that would affect them. He was measuring the consequences, seeing if it what was better. What was safer.

"Fine, I'll tell you."

**Yes, I know, you want to kill me. Yes, the chapter ended here. No, it's not a joke. This is chapter 7. Next chapter is the big moment! The truth! Finally, after so long…! And yet you guys still have to wait. XD Still have to wait to know what happened, and now you know that whatever the secret is, is not going to help Anna and Yoh's relationship. XD I hope you all liked it! **

**Please send reviews! =DD**


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

"Then tell me." Anna said, sitting down on a bench, crossing her arms and legs and waiting for Hao to start.

"Do you really need to sit like that?" Hao asked, looking at her like she was crazy.

"Start talking, Hao." Anna didn't move an inch.

"Sit properly and I will." Hao said, crossing his arms as well.

"I am, mother." He was wasting her time. He said he was going to tell her, so why can't he start talking already?

"Don't call me that. I'm a man, not a woman."

"You could have me fooled with that hair of yours."

"Do you want to hear what happened or not?" What kind of question was that? She had been waiting months to know what happened. She asked so many times what was wrong and all she got as an answer were those stupid words. She had just demanded, less than five minutes ago, an explanation to what was going on with Yoh, what they were hiding and why would that keep her and Yoh apart. And he still has the nerve to ask if she wanted to hear it or not? Is he suicidal? Because the only reason why Anna could think someone would ask something stupid like that at that moment was if they wanted to die.

"Yes. Tell me already!"

He sighed and sat by her side. He looked straight ahead, as his fingers went through his hair, trying to figure out how to start. Hao had never imagined he would have to tell Anna all that happened that bloody night, and explain how that affected his little brother, how the past seven years had been torture to him, and how he aged so much in a few hours, becoming even more protective of Yoh.

"I guess I have to start from the begging…"

"That would a good idea." Anna said, waiting. This few seconds of silence were like hours to her. Damn time… Is he playing another prank on her? And why is Hao taking so long to start? Finally, after so many months, she would know the secret that the Asakura Twins were keeping from her. But Hao had decided to create a long and dramatic silence right before he started explaining. It was like torture, knowing that she would finally know what happened but having to wait these long agonizing seconds…

"Do you remember…." He started, his eyes now distant, showing that he was finally going to start the story "The day you moved?"

She could almost fell backwards. Did he seriously just asked that? Are you kidding? Anna had to count to ten in her head and inhale to calm herself down.

"Of course." Hopefully her voice didn't sound as impatient as she was "Of course I remember that day."

And how could she forget, really? The last time she saw her childhood fiancée, now future boyfriend, and her other best friend. She remembered how Yoh hugged her tightly and refused to let go, and how Hao was yelling at her parents, and asking if she could move in with them. She remembered how Yoh cried, and how Hao tried to act tough, even thought his eyes were red and puffy. Anna also remembered entering the car and waving them good bye, and how Hao held his brother's hand tightly, and how Yoh did the same… She also remembered how some other adults who she didn't even know cried because of that scene.

"Do you remember the promise you made?"

"Yes." Again, how could she forget? She kept her promise, calling them every night. They talked for hours… Sometimes when she was in a restaurant with her parents, she would start acting like a five year old spoiled brat just so they could give her their cell phone and she could call them. She made sure to keep that promise. They were the ones who stopped answering the phone.

"I bet you also remember the night when we stopped answering the phone."

When was he going to start telling the damn story? Anna was already losing the little patience she had.

"Of course I do. I asked for an explanation the day we meet again at school… And that's when I first heard those words for the first time."

"Next Question?" Hao asked, smirking. She punched him soon after.

"Don't ever say those words again."

"You are so cruel. I pity my brother."

"Just go on with the story!"

Again, he sighed. Maybe that was his way to let her know he would start talking.

"It was that night that it happened." Again, his eyes were distant and sad, almost as if he was going back in time… Which he probably was, in his memories. He would probably have that look on his face during the entire time, seeing and reliving everything again, but voicing his thoughts and memories, letting her in on what happened.

"That what happened?" The look he send her was not sad or distant. It was rather angry and impatient.

"If you interrupt me one more time, I won't tell you."

And that shut her up.

"It was on that night that our parents died. On that night everything changed." His voice was lower than usual, but still higher than a whisper. "We were waiting for you to call. I don't know if you remember _that_ detail, but you were late. Usually you called us at 7PM, but it was already 9, and you hadn't called yet. We were waiting by the phone, while mom and dad watched TV."

Wait, they were at home? Anna had thought they were out, and died on a car accident.

"We were getting bored, so I suggested we did something while we waited for you to call." She felt slightly guilty for making them wait for her "We decided to play hide and seek."

That brought a small smile to her lips. That was one of their favorite indoor games, and they were great at it. Anna always had to be the one seeking, searching for them for hours and hours. She remembered that Hao used to like to hide in closets, or in small spaces like that, and he would always take advantage of the darkness and the stuff that were inside the closets, making it even harder to find him if you knew which closet he was in. He would sometimes stand up on boxes so you couldn't see his feet, and use the winter coats to hide his body. You would lose your patience looking behind everything inside the closet trying to find him, and many times give up before looking behind the correct coat. Yoh would squeeze himself in tight places, hard to reach. Places you would never look because you knew, or at least thought, that it was humanly impossible to fit in a place like that. Anna would be the one who hid in high places, knowing that no one looked up when trying to find someone while playing hide and seek.

"It was Yoh's turn to count. He went upstairs to our room, and started counting. I hid on the coats closet, the one that was on the corridor linking the living room to the kitchen and dining room. I hid behind dad's coat and stayed there, waiting…"

By the sad and ironic smile on Hao's face, she knew that the game they were playing didn't end well.

"I can't… I can't tell you how it happened. I was hiding, I only heard what was going on. I can't give you any details of what happened… Only Yoh can." His eyes were sad again "And he probably won't tell you that easily."

She remained silent.

"I heard Yoh coming down the stairs, fast." A sad smile appeared "I can even picture him now, going down two steps at a time, a huge smile on his face. I remember hearing him turn to the living room, which I thought it was odd because he knew that I didn't like hiding in the living room. But then he asked mom and dad where I was." A small laugh "Mom and dad said they couldn't tell, but Yoh continued to insist, waiting at the door."

His smile disappeared.

"That's when I heard something coming from the front door, and someone walking, with heavy steps, towards the living room. I heard dad yelling, but I couldn't make out his words… And then I heard mom screaming. I heard dad as well, and I knew he was in pain. Then I heard mom again, and a man's voice, saying something to her. I remember I started to panic, not knowing what to do…" he held his breath, his eyes now showing the pain he felt. Anna could only imagined how it must have felt for him, not knowing what was going on with his parents. "I didn't hear Yoh at all, and I think that's one of the things that scarred me the most.

"I then reached for the handle and opened the closet when I heard someone running towards the kitchen. I stepped out and I saw Yoh, running towards me, tears in his eyes. I tried to ask him what was going on but…" he looked down, taking a deep breath "He pushed me back in the closet, closing the door and then locking it. I remember his words to this words… He told me '_as far as he knows, that is only one of us.'_ And continued to run towards the kitchen. Then I heard the heavy footsteps again, and I knew that the man was running after Yoh. I heard some things falling in the kitchen and…" he bit his lips "I started searching for something inside the coats, anything that could help Yoh.

"And I found, inside the pocket of dad's coat, the one I was hiding behind, a cell phone. I called the police and begged them to come, that my brother was in trouble. They said they would be there soon. I guess they came after a few minutes, but to me it seemed like hours. I didn't know what was going on with my parents or Yoh. But I think you can guess." He didn't even look at Anna as he told the story "A few seconds after I heard the cops, the back door opened, and someone ran out. He escaped, and I knew that now it was safe to get out. But Yoh locked the door, so I started crying out for help.

"They opened the door and I ran to the living, and that's when…" Hao was pale now, and he looked like he was going to be sick. "That's when I saw my parents' bodies."

The sentence was enough to make Anna forget how to breathe. She could imagine little Hao, only 10 at the time, running and seeing his parents' both dead, on his living room. She could imagine how he must have felt, and could understand how right now he looked sick. No one should see something like that.

"There was so much blood… I threw up. The cops tried to take me away, but I couldn't stop looking. My mom and dad, dead, in front of me. They were both stabbed to death. Mom's body was closer to me than dad's, and I remember thinking that Yoh was in the same place I was when that happened." He took a big breath, almost like he was trying to stop himself from throwing up right now "And that's when it hit me. Yoh. I didn't know if he was okay. I didn't hear him screaming, I didn't know how he was. I tried to run to the kitchen, but they stopped me, saying I needed to go to the hospital, to see if I was okay, if I was hurt." He let out a bitter laugh "Like I was the one who needed help! Yoh was chased to the kitchen!

"I tried to run again, but they brought me outside, where there was an ambulance. And while trying to run back home, I saw the guys bringing someone in the stretcher. It was Yoh." Anna's eyes went wide, even thought she was already expecting that "He was…" Hao's voice was failing him, and it seemed like he was finally going to let the tears fall. He let out a sob before continuing "He was covered in blood!" now he was sobbing "And he looked so weak and pale… I thought… I thought he was dead! I ran towards him, trying to see if he was alive and he just looked at me. It was such a relief… Yoh had survived… He was in critical state, but he had survived."

He inhale deeply, looked up and then at Anna, who was staring at him in shock.

"After that we both went to the hospital. Grandma and Grandpa met us there. I was free to go after some time, but Yoh had to stay overnight. I didn't leave his side. We started living with Grandma and Grandpa after that, and we were busy with everything, so we couldn't take your calls."

"And when you finally answered, you said you would call when you could. But you never did." She looked down. Yoh had witnessed a murder. Not just any murder, his parents' murder. And he himself was a victim. He is lucky to be alive right now. "That explain the scars but… There were so many… How did he survive?"

"You know Yoh, he could fit anywhere he wanted. He hid himself in a small corner between two appliances at the kitchen. The man couldn't reach him or take him out of there, he could only fit his arm. He was blindly trying to stab Yoh, but my little brother had the advantage, so none of the cuts were deep enough to kill him." Anna smiled at that. If he had hid anywhere else, if he wasn't capable of fitting into small places, Yoh would be dead now" Plus the doctors said Yoh struggled and fought back, which helped…"

"Why did he hid with you?"

"It was like Yoh said, as far as he knew, there were only one us. He didn't know about me. He didn't know that there was another child in the house, another witness, if you could call me that. He was only after Yoh. He wouldn't give up until he found Yoh and killed him… Yoh knew that. If he hid with me, the man would find us in the closet, and then we would be dead. Yoh wanted to keep me alive, at least." Hao's smile was sadder than ever "He was ready to sacrifice himself for me. He almost did died for my sake. Protecting him now… That is the least I could do for my baby brother."

Anna was silent for some time, reflecting. Keiko and Mikihisa were murdered. Yoh witnessed all. Hao couldn't tell her all the details of what happened to Yoh and his parents that night, because he was locked inside the closet. He could tell what he heard, and what he saw afterwards, and that was enough to drive Asakura Hao to tears… She could only imagine how hard it was for Yoh, how he must have felt when he saw his parents dying, and how it must have felt being stabbed again and again, and then left alone, in the cold kitchen, waiting for his death…

"I'm still haunted by the screams I heard. And I still feel sick to my stomach when I remember my parents' bodies, when I remember all the blood and when I remember Yoh in that stretcher, and how he looked like a corpse as well. To Yoh it must be ten times worst…"

That sure explained a lot. Why Yoh had nightmares, how he got those scars, and why Hao didn't like him seeing movies with murders. The one they saw that day, with the man entering the house while holding a knife… That must have been horrible for Yoh, seeing something so much like what he witnessed long ago.

It answered many questions but…

"You're still hiding something from me." Anna said, making Hao look at her surprised. "There is more to that story. It can't be only that, there's still many unanswered questions."

"I thought you would forget about that." He said, looking down with a smile that looked both sad and like at smirk.

"There is a lot more, isn't there?"

"Yes… My parents' murder is just the begging of what we're hiding."

"Then tell me the rest. I want to hear it all."

**Just like I feared: This chapter is smaller than the other ones… Well, I knew that it would be, having to end it right here, I was prepared for that. Thought I tried to make it a bit longer with the begging and Anna remembering things… ^^" **

**Many of Yoh threaten me last chapter. XD Actually, every single review said something "I'm going to kill you" or "You better type fast or I'll beat you" or "HOW DARE YOU FINISH THE CHAPTER WITH SUCH A CLIFF HANGER?!". I'm serious, every single review had something like that! And now I bet you still want to kill me right? XD This ending didn't help at all, right? Since when was I planning to divide the flash back into two chapters? Since the begging. XD I just never told you because… Because then it would be no fun, with you knowing that not all your questions would be answered on the oh-so-waited chapter 8! XD**

**I wrote all of this one day, actually. O.o In two hours and a half. Please, send reviews!**


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

"The murder was just the beginning of our problems." Hao started again, the distant sad look back in his eyes "What happened afterwards… That was when the real problem began."

"What happened?" Anna looked at him, now calm, trying to rid her mind of all thoughts. She couldn't think about what she just heard; the story about how the Asakura Twins both witnesses the murder of their parents and how one of them almost died himself. She wanted to wait to hear this part out before actually thinking about it. She didn't want to worry Yoh right now, it would be best that the day his brother came back was a happy one, instead of one with Anna looking at him with pity and finally understanding what was wrong. Knowing Yoh, he would be embarrassed and wouldn't like the idea one bit.

"Well… At first Yoh had to get better. He was affected by what happened, but he was…" he sighed, frustrated "Not normal, no one can be normal at a situation like that! But I remember the two of us at the hospital, him lying on that hospital bed, smiling sadly at me, trying to convince me that he was ok. He could… He could still speak!"

Wait, speak? She knew that Yoh was quite shy and Hao usually did the talking but... Was that really connected to the murder? The reason why Yoh had a hard time talking to others, even to his own brother? The reason why Hao was always the one answering the questions at school and ordering the food and…

"Speak?" Anna asked in disbelief "Of course he could speak! He still can!"

"Yes, but…"

"Then what did you mean by 'he could still speak'?!"

"I meant…"

"Explain it!"

"If you just shut up, I will!" he was almost yelling now, obviously impatient. Which just showed how uncomfortable he was with talking about that. Anna knew Hao was a selfish person, and he sometimes liked teasing people and raised his voice a bit, but losing his patience… Apparently he would only lose it if it was something about Yoh; something about their secret.

And that was the only reason why she didn't punch him again, because she knew it was something very personal. That and because if she broke his teeth they would have to go to a hospital or dentist and she wouldn't be able to hear the rest of the story.

"Yoh was still Yoh back them. Sure, he cried and he was hurt. He was scarred and had nightmares about what happened. Even I still have nightmares where I'm back at that tiny closet, hearing my parent's scream and then seeing Yoh, all bloody and having a hard time breathing." Hao shook his head "It's normal for us to have nightmares about it."

So that was what Yoh dreamt about so often. He relieved the night of his parents' murder, he saw everything again. For some reason he relieved that every single night. It must be like hell, watching such a bloody murder again and again for seven years… No wonder he never wanted to sleep. If Anna was on his place, she probably wouldn't want to either. And that was why Hao wanted Yoh to have a dreamless night. He didn't want Yoh to see that again, he didn't want Yoh to have a bad night because of that dream. And the little naps… When Anna touched him to try to wake him up, it probably reminded him of the killer reaching out to him with a knife in his hand.

"So his nightmares…"

"Yes, he still has them, every night." Hao sighed "It started on his first night at the hospital, after the detectives had finished talking with our grandparents. They didn't talk to Yoh and me, because we were too weak. I stayed by Yoh's side, sleeping in his hospital room with him. He started screaming and crying in the middle of the night. I was so scared; I didn't know what to do to calm him down. He had saved my life, and I couldn't even help him with a nightmare." Hao shook his head again "I didn't know that nights like that would be very common in our lives."

"What happened the next day?"

"The detectives asked us what happened. They had someone with them, to analyze us while we talked about what happened. First they asked me, and told them what I told you, of course back them I told them in a childish way, holding back a few tears and looking every now and then at Yoh, so he could give me strength." Hao now had a sad smile. That made sense. Anna knew that Yoh and Hao always searched for strength in each other. Even today she could still see that, whatever it was the two holding hands or just one quick glance, they would always try to support each other. It's something they always did, even before the murder, and Anna could only imagine that what happened to their parents brought them even closer.

"Then they tried to talk to Yoh." Hao's smile disappeared, and he now had a dark look on his eyes "Yoh wouldn't say a thing. He would look down at his hands folded in his lap, or look at me, desperate or he would start crying. I still remember the despair in his eyes, and how he was begging me to not force him to talk about it. They saw that as well, and thought maybe Yoh needed some time before talking about what he saw. '_We understand'_ they said '_It's a very traumatic experience for a ten year old. He can tell us when he is ready.'_".

"I assume that's what happen. Yoh got better and told them, right?"

Hao laughed. A bitter, humorless laugh, full of sarcasm. His expression showing disgust. By that Anna could have guessed something went really wrong.

"That's what it was _suppose_ to happen!" Hao said, still with that same expression "But as weeks went by, Yoh still didn't get any better. If anything, he got worst, probably because of his nightmares. The detectives couldn't take it anymore. They wanted to know who did it, and they couldn't wait for Yoh to get better! They couldn't wait until Yoh was ready to tell them! He would tell them, but he only needed some time!" Hao looked down, holding back a sob "They ruined everything! It's their fault Yoh is like that! It's their fault Yoh is all messed up on the inside!"

Yoh? Messed up? She knew he had problems, lot of them, but to say he was messed up wasn't a bit of an exaggeration? Someone would see Yoh and would only think he needed to eat more and get some sleep, probably just some teenager who spent most of his time studying so he could have good grades. He seemed normal at first, only when you really got to know him you saw all his problems.

Okay, so maybe he was messes up and Hao wasn't exaggerating.

"What did they do to him?"

"I wish I knew." Hao's voice now was a low whisper. "They tried to get the truth out of him, I guess. They told me to leave the room, and told my grandparents that they would try to help Yoh get better, so we could find the killer. They talked with Yoh for hours alone every day, and when they finally let me in, Yoh had that same look he had back at the movies." Anna bit her lip. She remembered that night perfectly. It was back then when she realized that whatever they were keeping from her was something truly terrible. And to imagine little ten year old Yoh, with that same terrified lost look on his eyes, full angst and despair… And to think Hao saw that every day after the detectives talked alone to Yoh… She shook her head. No, she could not think about it now "He had a hard time breathing, and I couldn't get him to react to anything for a few minutes. When he finally came back he had tears in his eyes… He didn't even smile or tried to tell me he was okay, like he normally would. And the detectives… The cops, they were so angry when they left the room."

"Why were they angry?"

"Because they couldn't get anything out of him." Hao sighed once again "That's all they cared about. It didn't matter what method or what it would happen to Yoh, they only wanted to close the case and get everything over with! They would never tell us what happened when they were alone… And I hated that! I still do! For some reason my brother went into that stage, probably because he was forced to relieve mom and dad's murder again and again, and I couldn't do anything to protect him! I hated it! I tried to stop them, but who would listen to a 10 year old brat? They didn't." Anna looked down. So at the movies, when Yoh saw the man with the knife and when he was outside he was relieving what happened to his parents. So that's why Hao was telling him that she was by his side; that it was over… Hao was trying to bring his mind back to the present.

"They would make him draw as well. They wanted to see if he could show them what happened in the drawings, but it never worked. I remember over hearing them analyzing his drawings, saying what he was trying to say, and then sighing and saying something like '_It's useless to this investigation.'_."So that's what Yoh meant when they met again, saying they told him to draw…

"And one day… Yoh just stopped talking." Wait, what?

"What do you mean he '_stopped talking'_?"

"Just what you heard. He stopped talking. Wouldn't say a word to anyone. Not even to me." Hao looked at the direction of the ice cream shop, probably looking for Yoh "He stopped reacting as well. He would just sit there, with a blank look, staring straight ahead. I would speak to him, but it was like he didn't even heard me. Those conversations we have sometimes didn't work either. It was like… It was like he was a body without a soul."

A body without a soul… Just like that drawing the Weird Mustache Guy destroyed.

"We had to order him to eat, sometimes even give him the food. I had to push him around, helping him brush his teeth and do things. And that's when the cops left us."

"Left you?"

"Yeah." Again he gave that laugh "They destroyed Yoh and then left, saying it would be better to wait until he was back to normal to try to talk to him again. They told us to seek help, but grandma and grandpa refused, saying that they wouldn't force Yoh to do anything else. We left him alone with them and that's what happened to him. We didn't want him to get any worse."

"And the drawings and nightmares…?"

"That was the only time Yoh actually reacted and did something. He would only let his emotions free when he was having nightmares, seeing everything again and again… And I would always give him paper so he could draw something. Anything. But I couldn't understand his drawings so…"

"So you started reading the psychology books."

Hao nodded, his eyes full with tears.

"It was the only way I could know what Yoh was feeling. And it still is. Yoh still won't open up. I need to know what he is feeling, if he is okay…"

"How long did that last? How long did he stay like that? Like a soulless body?"

"Years." Hao answered, shocking Anna once again "He can't exactly remember what happened during those years, and that's why we were homeschooled. I would be holding Yoh's hand every second, dragging him everywhere, telling him to eat and to sleep, helping him get dressed and other things. It was like having a doll. He never lost that blank look. Sometimes…" He sobbed, one tear now running down his cheek "Sometimes I would think I would never have Yoh back. I thought I had lost him forever."

_I can't lose him again._ Hao would repeat that many times. So that's what he meant… Hao is scarred, he doesn't want Yoh to go back to that state again. Not that Anna could blame him. Hearing it now, she wouldn't want that to happen him again either! Hao was always protecting Yoh from what seemed to be harmless things because he didn't want Yoh be like that again.

"So when you said Yoh couldn't talk, and you would call when you could you meant…"

"We really couldn't talk to you at the moment. I had to take care of Yoh, and Yoh… Yoh was just not there." Hao shook his head "Our lives were like that until about a year ago, when Yoh finally started reacting. He wouldn't talk, but I didn't care. He would smile and nod his head and when said yes, shake it when no. He would dress himself and I would almost never need to tell him to eat. It was so much progress…" Hao smiled "I was so happy that some part of Yoh was back."

Anna couldn't help but smile as well.

"And then… Finally, about two months before we moved, he spoke. After seven years he had finally said a word. He wasn't a silent person anymore. He spoke!" Hao's smile grew, almost as if he was relieving the moment and emotions from when he finally heard his brother's voice again, after 7 long years "He said my name. His voice was weird and low, but still… I was so happy! One of the things he said that day was '_We need to call Anna.'_" And Hao laughed, "We tried calling you, at Kyoto, but you had moved."

Anna looked down. Ok, so they did call her again. 7 years later. She didn't know if she should be angry or happy.

"And when the cops heard about that, they came back." Hao's smile disappeared "They said they wouldn't force Yoh to speak again, like last time. They told us to bring some normality to our lives. They said we should start school and make friends, do normal activities, and soon Yoh would be able to speak again. I noticed, of course, that there were some things that You couldn't take."

"Like that movie."

"Yes…" he nodded "Like that movie. We were going to start school again but…" his voice got lower "_he _called."

"He? He who?" Anna was confused again.

"Who else?! The killer!" he was angry, and Anna shocked "Apparently he was spying on us during all these years! He called and Yoh answered the phone. He got that look on his face again, so I pressed the button. I recognize the voice instantly! He was threatening Yoh! He said that if Yoh ever said what happened that day, he would kill me and our grandparents! Of course, if Yoh had any plans of telling what happened, that shut him up."

Anna was still in shock.

"And that's why we moved. The original plan was for Yoh to come alone, to a place where he would be safe. But like hell I'm going to let him alone with them. Just look what happened7 years ago when we did leave Yoh alone with them! He just started talking again, I was not going to risk anything."

"And that's why you were hesitant in going back. You didn't want Yoh to go alone because…"

"Because I'm the only thing stopping them from interrogating him like they did 7 years ago. Like I said before, they want to close the case, not matter what! They don't give a damn about Yoh's mental health! They don't care if Yoh goes back to that state, as long as they get the guy!"

"What about you, Hao?" Anna looked at him curiously. "Don't you want him to go to jail as well?"

"Anna…" Hao sighed "My parents are dead. It hurts, but it's the truth. Nothing will bring them back. My entire family can see spirits, and I know that there is no way to bring the dead back to life. Putting that bastard in jail would give me a sense of justice, but it wouldn't bring them back. But Yoh… Yoh is still alive. He's still here, he still has a life to live. And I want him to live it happily. I want him to talk when he is ready, and if he is never ready, I'm okay with it. I just don't want him back to that state. I don't want him unhappy. He is what matters now. He is my priority."

Anna smiled. Of course. She should have known. Hao would always put Yoh in first place.

"The original plan was for only Yoh to move, but I came as well." Hao continued "We live with those three cops so they can protect us. And there are some with grandpa and grandma as well. We chose Tokyo because of all the people, surely if he noticed that we moved he would have a hard time finding us here. And that's it." Hao sighed "That's our story."

"So… The man is still out there?" Anna asked, looking around. She had no idea what he looked like, what his voice sounded like but… But to even think that there was someone out there, searching for them, trying to kill them… It caused her to panic! And she had no idea who it was!

"You are starting to feel it as well, aren't you?" Hao laughed "I feel the same way. Yoh is the only one who knows what he looks like, and he won't even draw his face. Anyone around here can be the man who killed my parents, the one who stabbed Yoh and who threaten us. He could be anywhere, watching us…"

"Yoh said it's safe… Then…"

"He meant that he isn't around." Hao looked around as well "But people keep coming and going, he may be here right now, searching for Yoh, trying to find out if he has spoken." He then calmly looked at Yoh "And Yoh… He is so fragile right now."

"Fragile?"

"Anything can send him back to that state. Back at the movies, I told you he had that same look in his eyes that he had when the detectives left him. And after that he went silent. I was scared that he would go back to that state at that moment. I thought I was going to lose him again." His voice showed all his sadness "And anything can send him over the edge. He is walking on a small line dividing him from how he is right now, and from that silent emotionless mode of his. Maybe even his nightmares can make him change back!"

That would explain why he was so overprotective. And Anna couldn't blame him. Even she was getting worried right now, wondering if it was okay leaving Yoh alone at the ice cream shop. One simple thing could affect him. And how would they bring him back if that happened? According to Hao it took 6 years until he could finally do things by himself, and 7 until he could speak. And he still couldn't talk about what happened, and still couldn't see things that reminded him of that night…

Somehow she felt bad for yelling at Hao for being overprotective. If it was Anna, she would probably do the same thing.

Not that she wasn't going to tell him that.

"And even thought he cares about me, he won't try to be anything more than just friends." She sighed. Well, that was just the icing on the cake. After hearing all of that sad story and everything it even had to come with the fact that it didn't matter their feelings for each other, Yoh wouldn't accept be anything but friends.

Perfect. If she ever saw that guy she would kill him!

"He loves you too much." Hao shrugged "He doesn't want you to get involved in this. He doesn't want the killer to figure out you are someone dear to him and try to use you just like he is using me, grandma and grandpa. He doesn't want you to get into any danger."

She never thought she would think this, but Anna seriously wanted Yoh to care for her a bit less than he did.

"It all makes sense now." She spoke in a low voice "It must have been hard on Yoh."

"It was." Hao said. "It still is." He stood up and offered her his hand "Come on, I think we left Yoh by himself long enough now."

Anna agreed, but did not take his hand. She just stood up without any help and walked silently towards the ice cream shop, where a brown eyed, pale, chocolate-haired boy waited by the door, looking at all the ice cream flavors in awe.

"Hey Yoh!" Hao greeted with a smile, as if the past few minutes hadn't even happened.

"Hao, look how many flavors they have!" Yoh said, smiling at his brother "They have so many, I don't know which one to chose!"

"I would think you would chose orange." Hao said, smiling at his brother.

"I would, but they don't have just orange." Yoh frowned "Plus, I want to try something new!" he smiled again "Will you share it with me, Anna?"

Anna looked away, blushing. Looking at him right now she would have never guessed Hao's story was true. But she knew it was. She could see it in his eyes, the guilt, the loneliness, the sadness… The smiles were just an act, something he was putting so no one would worry about him.

"Why don't we order a Sundae and we all share?" Hao suggested, smiling at his brother. Yoh nodded, almost as if he knew Hao what Hao meant behind those words and went to the back of the line.

Anna started walking again, but Hao held her wrist.

"After all this is over, and he can finally make a move, don't you dare break his heart." He was serious "Or _I_ will be the one punching _you._ I have no problems with hitting a girl. I'm for equality between sexes."

Anna rolled her eyes.

Like hell she would ever let Hao punch her.

**For some reason I feel like I own you all an apology. This chapter was terrible, I know! _ It was so confusing, and so hard to write it. Now you understand why I had to divide it? If it was all one chapter it would be too confusing. _ I hope everyone understood what happened. And the ending was just terrible, but I couldn't find a way to end it properly. I wanted to end it with Hao saying something like "Since we came here he doesn't need to pretend to be happy anymore", but it would be too OOC. So I decided to do it with Hao being the one saying that he would punch Anna, and I just had to use that quote from Ed where he says he is for equality between sexes. XDD **

**Now I think everyone understands the reason for the name of the fanfic. ^^ And now the big mystery is over… But don't worry, I'll soon throw some more suspense into the fanfic! XD And my cliffhanger chapters will be back really soon!**

**And Wow! For the past three chapter I've received exactly 12 reviews. XD Let's see if we can have 13 (which is the most I received in one chapter. Chapter 4, the one where I revealed Mikihisa and Keiko were dead) on this one! **

**Sorry again if this chapter was way below your expectations. **


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

She was trying to be sympathetic. She was trying _so_ hard to be sympathetic. It was the only way to know what went on inside Yoh's mind, she told herself. The only way to know how he truly feels. He stayed mute and emotionless for 7 years and during that time the only way Hao could know what Yoh was thinking was by analyzing his drawings.

But did it's been two hours!! The original plan was to eat out, see a movie and then walk in the park. Maybe change the order a bit, but that was the original plan. But then Hao said he wanted to see the wall, so Amidamaru called Mosuke saying they were going to eat there, and then Hao would take a look at Anna's room.

They ate then came upstairs. Anna thought it would only take a few minutes, but no, Hao stayed there, his hand on his chin, seeing every single detail of the stupid wall! He stayed about 10 minutes looking at the rocks of the painting!

And she was trying so hard to be understanding. She truly was, after finding out what happened three weeks ago, but two hours was just too much.

And the most annoying thing was that Yoh didn't seem to mind at all! He stayed there, sitting on her bed, by her side, smiling like an idiot. He didn't ask any questions and didn't say anything. It was like he was already used to it. Which he probably was.

But Anna wasn't. She had no idea he would take two hours looking at her wall.

"Why are you taking so long?" she asked slowly, as if that would calm her down.

"It's a big wall! A big painting with a lot of details!" he explained, obviously impatient with the interruption. Yeah, he was impatient. He, the one who was holding them there, was impatient. Quite ironic, in Anna's opinion.

"You don't need to analyze it all at once." Again, she was talking slowly, like you do when you are talking to an ignorant person who doesn't realize his own stupidity and doesn't see that you are losing your patient. Right now Hao fitted that description perfectly.

"It's your fault!" Hao said, looking over his shoulder, angry.

Her fault? It was her faul?!

She just reached her limit.

"How is it my fault?!" now she was up on her feet, ready to use her fists if needed. Yoh was no longer smiling, but looking at the two curiously.

"You made him paint this." He answered, his eyes back at the wall "If you didn't forced him to paint it, we would be out already!"

"What?!" her voice came high pitched, louder than she expected. But she didn't mind, she was going to make him regret those words.

And that's when Yoh intervened. He quickly stood up and put himself between the two, his back facing Hao and his hands holding Anna's, as if trying to hold her back. The contact made her blush slightly, but she ignored it, and continued walking forward. Hao was too stupid to notice that his younger brother was there, trying to save his life.

"Anna, how about we go to the balcony and wait there?" he asked, with a nervous laugh. Before she could answer, he walked towards the balcony, still holding her hands.

It had been three weeks since Hao told her truth, and yet she never talked to Yoh about it. He knew she knew about it. And Anna knew that too. The secret was out, yet they behaved as if nothing had changed… Which Anna was grateful for, it would be weird if Yoh started behaving differently just because she knew his secret, or if Anna started to treat Yoh like two year old kid. At least they could behave normally.

Nothing had changed in their relationship, unfortunately for Anna. Yoh still wouldn't talk about that night, so he still wouldn't acknowledge his feelings for her. In fact, if it wasn't for Hao, Anna would have never guessed Yoh actually liked her in a special way. He would behave so naturally around her, only blushing or acting nervous if Hao teased them, that you would think he thought of her as just friends. Or at least that was Anna's opinion.

Pirika, on the other hand, had already asked Anna about the two. Apparently Tamao really is in love with Yoh, and the blue-haired girl is on her side. She asked why the two of them were always close together, and why Yoh would always smile on a special way for her, or why would he was so outgoing with Anna but not the rest of them. She asked why Yoh would laugh and hold her hand on the rare times they hung out together. Anna had never really noticed those small moments, only thinking it was natural. They used to be like that when kids, there wasn't any difference.

But that didn't stop Pirika and Tamao. No, everyday Tamao would try give Yoh a bento, or tell him he looks really well or say he is the most amazing artist she had ever seen. Of course, why she did that she would get all red and babble a little. Yoh would be polite and smile at her, nodding and thanking her, which caused Tamao to get even more red and babble even more. It was really, really, _really_ annoying.

Not to mention the times Pirika tried to set the two up on a date. She invited everyone to go to the movies, to see a Romantic Comedy, saying she would buy the tickets. When they arrived at the theater Anna was surprised to see a Tamao wearing a lot of makeup, hair made, some really small close and, dare she say, with breast that grew over a few hours. Yoh didn't noticed, but Hao did. He was doing a poor job trying to hold back his laughter. Anna was too surprised and too mad to even speak.

And then Pirika came with the excuse that she bought the wrong tickets, only two of them for the Romantic Comedy and the rest of them for some stupid rated G movie about a dancing monkey that needed to save the golden banana. Of course, she wasn't expecting Anna to take the tickets of her hand and insist on switching them for the Romantic Comedy. Like hell she would let Tamao watch a Romantic Comedy movie with _her_ Yoh. As if the man who killed his parents wasn't enough to ruin their relationship.

But Anna had to admit that the day Pirika asked her that it made her think a little bit. Hao said Yoh loved her, and according to Pirika, he acted like he did too. Yet she never noticed. Did Yoh know about her feelings for him? He knew that Hao had told her about their secret. But did he knew that Hao also told her about his feelings towards her? And that she had similar ones? Were they like those two clueless teenagers in stupid movies and books that clearly loved each other, that everyone knew about that except them?

She sure hoped not. She would hate being compared to one of those annoying girls. As far as she knew, the only people who were aware that she was interested on Yoh in a romantic way were Hao and the people who worked at her house, who still tried to set them up every now and them.

"Sorry that Hao is taking so long." Yoh said, snapping Anna out of her thoughts.

"You didn't seem to notice he was taking so long." Anna said, raising an eyebrow. He smiled childish, that adorable smile that was unique to him.

"I didn't." She thought so "I'm so used to Hao over analyzing things that I don't notice the time anymore."

He doesn't notice time? Well, lucky him. Time seems to hate Anna, and it really enjoys teasing her. She wished she could just ignore it. But time it's evil and it doesn't allow her to. Or she is just too smart to be able to ignore it like Yoh. Either way, she just can't do it.

"Well, he takes too long." She crossed her arms.

"I know… But you have to be patient with him." Yoh went to her side "He is just as stubborn as you are."

"I'm not stubborn!"

He laughed.

"Yes you are." He put a hand over his mouth, trying to keep himself from laughing even more.

"No I'm not!" she was not looking at him angry. Forget that he is cute and she loves him. No one calls her stubborn!

"Yes, you are." He was laughing even harder now "See? Right now? You are being stubborn!"

"Well… Right now is different." She looked away.

"Different how?" she could hear the smile on his voice. Damn him.

"It just is!"

And he laughed again. God, she did love that laugh. She remember when they were little kids and he would laugh like that almost all the time. She would tell him it was annoying and that he sounded like an idiot laughing for no reason, but that only brought a smile to his face. He was always a happy person… That is, until his parents were killed.

How could someone do such a thing? And how could those cops treat Yoh that way? Like Hao said, they didn't care at all if Yoh got emotionally hurt with all of this! All they wanted was to close the case. Of course, why should they care? It wouldn't be them having to see Yoh suffering every single day of his life. It wouldn't be them always wondering if he would ever be back to normal. And it wouldn't be them growing old waiting for Yoh to finally make a move.

She sighed. Things were so complicated now. No, they always were, she just never knew. Either way, Anna was glad now that she knew their secret. It felt like they finally trusted her. It also gave her some peace of mind, knowing what was bothering Yoh and Hao so much, what made them unhappy. Plus, it was something she could say she knew about them and Tamao didn't. It disgusted her to think of the two of them on the same level.

"How long do you think he will take?" Anna asked, looking inside, seeing the long haired twin still staring at her wall.

"I dunno." He shrugged. "A few more hours, maybe."

What? Hours?! She didn't have hours! Soon the sun would set and they wouldn't be able to go to the park, just the movies… And Anna wanted to spent some time alone with Yoh in the park! Not that spending time alone with him right now was bad… It's just… The park was one of the few places in Tokyo where there were a lot of trees. One of the few places that reminded her of Izumo. She wanted to drag him to the woods, just like they did when kids, and wanted to pretend again that she was the Queen and Yoh was her King, and that the forest was her kingdom. Now, if she could only find a way to ditch Hao…

"I can't wait anymore hours!" she yelled, storming into the room "Out, Hao! We're going!"

"I'm not done yet!"

"Too bad!" she was holding Yoh's wrists, dragging him behind her "This is my room, and you do what I want! Not get the hell out of here! We're leaving!"

"You have no right…"

"It's my room." Her expression darkened. "Do you dare to question my orders when you are inside _my_ room?"

Yoh gulped and started laughing nervously.

"Let's go Hao… We can take some pictures later and then you analyze it at home, just like you first planned."

Pictures? He was planning to take pictures and do this at his house at his own time?

"Fine…" he finally agreed.

That meant… That this whole two hours they spent… Waiting for him… Could have been avoided… If he had taken the damn pictures in the first place… Like he planned originally?

Asakura. Hao. Was. A. Dead. Man.

When they got to the car, Hao had a big bruise on the back of his head.

Hao had decided on a comedy movie, one that was rated PG 13 and was, as far as they knew, safe for Yoh to watch. Anna had no idea what the movie was about, but she was sure that, whatever it was, it didn't have any violence, so it should be safe. No danger in comedy, no murder… Nothing bad would be at the movie.

Or so she thought. When they were buying their tickets, she heard that oh-so-hated voice, belonging to that pink haired shameless girl.

Damn her. Does time and traffic lights also work with her and Pirika? Does the universe have conspiracy against her? Do they get some kind of sick pleasure seeing her get annoying and angry? Is it funny? Enjoyable? Well, it sure isn't for her!

"Y-Yoh-kun… Hao-kun… A-Anna-san…" she greeted as soon as she got close to them, a sweet timid smile on her lips. She looked at Yoh, as if trying to say something to him, but couldn't find the words. "Y-y-you… You… Yoh look good you. I-I-I mean! You look good Yoh-kun… Not that you never look good is just… Well… Right now, you look good, like always…" and then her face got red "N-Not that I've been looking at you and… I…" she was about to cry, much to Anna's amusement, but kind-hearted Yoh smiled, thanking her. Which calmed her down.

Anna frowned, sending Tamao a dirty a look.

As her eye caught Hao's face, she saw a smirk. She could tell what he was thinking easily. Something along the lines of "this is going to be fun". Which will not. Anna knew at the moment she saw that smirk that whatever he just thought would be the anything _but_ funny.

"We were just going to watch a movie."

Oh no. He wouldn't…

"Really?" Tamao looked at Hao, still with that sickening sweet shy smile on her face. The 3 s that could only be applied to Tamamura Tamao. Sickening, Sweet and Shy.

"Yes." He nodded "Why don't you join us?"

He did it.

Anna finally figured out who was the master mind behind that sick conspiracy: Asakura Hao.

And to make matters worse, her smile got wider, her eyes shining with hope. Now, crushing that hope would be fun, but apparently people preferred to piss her off.

"Sure!" Hao said with a charming smile "We wouldn't mind, would we?"

Yes.

"No, not at all." Yoh smile politely.

And that's how Anna's wonderful afternoon in the movies became hell. Yoh, being the clueless boy he was, was actually paying attention to the movie. He smiled and laughed at the funny parts. Anna didn't get to pay attention to the screen, she was too busy looking at Tamao, who was also looking at her, each trying to make sure the other wouldn't make a move. Yoh didn't notice any of it, but he would, sometimes, look at Anna with a smile and ask if she was liking the movie or if she needed something. He didn't do that to Tamao though, which made Anna feel happy. Hao, the one who planned all, was paying attention to Anna and Tamao, enjoying that immensely, and looking at his brother with that worried look every now and then.

If only Hao had taken the pictures in the first place, they would have never run into Tamao and Anna would have been able to appreciate the movie date plus Hao with Yoh.

When the movie finally ended, they went out and Tamao said she needed to go. She walked close to Yoh, smiling saying she had a very good time, and Yoh just smiled back, saying he had too.

And then she was gone. Finally, in Anna's opinion, and the three of them were free to have their walk on the park. Luckily, the sun hadn't set yet, so they still had time.

It took them some time to get there, but when they did, Anna was grateful that they still had a about half an hour before it started to get dark. They walked most of the time, just talking about random things, like they used to when kids. Well, Hao and Anna did most of the talking, with Yoh adding a few comments here and there. Nothing new.

They talked about how Yoh and Anna were engaged when little. Anna smiled at that. She remembered forcing Yoh to marry her, and she remember Hao's reaction when he found out. He looked at the two of them as if they were crazy, and then asked Yoh if that was really what he wanted. Yoh just shrugged and said "I guess so…Anna can be pretty nice sometimes, I wouldn't mind being with her forever."

Now that sentence caused her to feel warm inside. When a little girl she said that of course he wouldn't mind, he was her fiancée after all, but right now… She would say the same thing, and she still felt warm inside. Nothing really changed on the way she felt about Yoh, or how she behaved towards him… And she could guess that nothing changed with Yoh either.

Which may be a problem. When a little girl she was the one who forced him into a relationship. Right now she was waiting until he could tell about what happen to his parents and the criminal be caught so he could finally tell her how he felt. She knew that if she confessed her feelings for him, he would reject her, trying to protect her from the dangerous murder that could use her as a hostage, just like he was using Hao and their grandparents.

But when he did told everyone about the man and he was in jail, what would happen? All this time she just assumed that he would tell her how he feels but… But like seen before, Yoh is just too clueless and too shy! Would she have to be the one to tell how she felt first?

Well, it wasn't really a problem. She could do it. She could tell him how she felt first. No problem. It just would be annoying to have to wait god knows how long it will take to get this situation over with just so _she_ could be the one to tell how she felt first.

And then they went to watch the sun set, on the woods, the three of them. Yoh sat on the middle, Anna on his right and Hao on his left. The three of them stayed silent, lost on their own thoughts. Anna did at least. She had no way to prove that Hao and Yoh were not having one of those private conversations right at that moment. With those two, anything was possible.

Anna was remembering how it was nice to have Yoh at her house, a while back. It was nice to have someone at the house. Her parents were always at work or travelling. It was like that since she was a young child. She was pretty unhappy before she met Yoh and Hao. And when she moved, she went back to being that sad and lonely little girl. But now that they were back, she was happy again.

She only wished she could be that happy at her house. Even thought she knew the staff cared about her, it just wasn't the same. They each had their own work to do, so when not with Yoh or Hao, Anna was lonely. She had to come home and sit down a huge dinner table set up for one. Sometimes she wouldn't see her parents for weeks. And in the middle of night, waking up and knowing her parents were probably at a friend's party… It was so lonely, so suffocating… But it didn't felt like that with Yoh there. It was nice having someone else at that big house.

"Well…" Hao said, standing up. "I think we need to go right now. It's getting dark and the lights of the park are still not on yet. We need to find our way back to the main path and then meet with Amidamaru outside."

Agreeing, Yoh and Anna stood up, and the three of them walked to the main path at the park. It took them some time but they finally made it. There were a lot of people walking at that time, most of it couples, taking a romantic walk at the park.

Again, Yoh and Hao were talking, with Yoh only nodding. Only this time they didn't they didn't notice he was quieter than usual.

It was then that he stopped walking. When Hao and Anna looked at him, he had that same expression on his face. Fear, terror, despair… It didn't seem like his mind was with them, for his eyes were staring straight ahead, but he didn't seem to notice his older brother and his best friend running towards him, shaking him and asking him what was wrong.

Anna panicked. She had only seen Yoh like that one time, and she wasn't sure what brought him back. Neither was Hao. Neither of them knew how to bring Yoh back. For all they knew, he may not come back. According to Hao the day he lost Yoh he had that same expression on.

"What do you think set him off ?" Anna asked, looking at Hao worried, who was still trying to bring his brother back.

"I don't know!" Hao said, his eyes full with worried "Anything could! For all I know he may have been thinking about our parents, and that lead him to the murder… I don't know!"

Anna looked at Yoh, now more worried than ever. She held his wrist and dragged him to a bench, forcing him to sit down. Hao sat on his side, and tried to call his brother.

"Come on Yoh…! We're at the park, we watched a movie…!" Hao looked at Anna, begging for help. Too bad that she also had no idea of what to do. This was lasting a lot longer than the first time she saw him like this.

For all she knew, he wouldn't come back.

"Yoh!" Hao called again "Come on Yoh, please… Anna is here, with us! We met Tamao earlier, remember? Come on… We are here Yoh, we're 17! You are okay, you are safe! I'm here with you, I won't let anything happen to you!"

But Yoh had no reaction.

"Yoh! I can't lose you again… Come back!" Hao obviously had no idea what to do.

"Yoh!" Anna also called, hoping that her voice would bring her back. Hoping he would realize that she was there, so it couldn't possibly be back that night when his parents were murdered.

It didn't work either. In fact, a few seconds later his face went completely blank.

"No…" Hao said, looking at the verge of despair. "No… Yoh… Yoh! YOH!!!"

Anna bit her lips.

"Come back you idiot!"

It didn't work.

Hao then hugged him tightly, as if that could bring him back. He was starting to sob now, murmuring things like "I'm sorry" and "I'll take care of you" and "I love you". Anna just looked at the two of them, feeling some tears coming to her eyes. No… They couldn't have lost Yoh… He couldn't be back to that soulless state that he was for seven years.

And he didn't. A few minutes after Hao hugged Yoh, she saw two thin pale arms went around Yoh's shoulder. The long haired twin backed away a little, trying to see his brother's face. He still had that terrified expression on, but it seemed that now he was aware of where he was.

The relief was overwhelming. Anna took one big breath, noticing that a pair of full lungs never felt so good. She thought… She really believed that they were going to lose him! She was so sure he wouldn't make it back; that they would have to drag him around like Hao used to and that he wouldn't speak again.

Hao also seemed relieved. He was smiling, with a few tears on his eyes. Anna could see that he wanted to hung him again and say he was sorry and that he was so happy and thought he had lost him again. He was about to, but Yoh's terrified expression didn't go away.

"Yoh…?" Hao asked, worried again. Anna just looked at the two. Something was wrong. Something was really wrong. Last time as soon as Yoh came back he was smiling, saying he was okay and comforting Hao, apologizing for scaring him.

What had happened? What set him off?

"Nii…" Yoh sobbed "Nii-chan…"

"What happened?" Hao asked. "What set you off?"

"I… I…" he sobbed, the fear never leaving his face. He was fighting back his tears. Tears of fear, not of sadness. The sobs made it impossible for him to speak, much to Anna's impatience.

"You…?" Anna asked, as she sat down by his side.

"I…" The sobs made it impossible for him to speak, much to Anna's impatience. He just gave her the scare of her life, she wasn't in the mood to keep hearing him crying. She thought she had lost him! She was stressed out, she wasn't in the mood to hear him sob. She wanted to know what happened, why her Yoh was suffering!

"What is it Yoh?!" Anna was already losing her patient.

"Shut up Anna!" Hao wasn't as impatient. It was obvious that he didn't want to force Yoh to say anything he wasn't ready to say; that he didn't Anna to say. But Anna was not used to situations like this. She didn't know what to do or how to react to it. Hao, on the other hand, knew that forcing him to speak would not help. He knew he needed to first calm Yoh down, before trying to find out what happened.

And after a few seconds, his sobs came lower and lower, with more space between them.

"I… I saw him here. At the park." His voice was really low, so low Anna could barely hear it.

"Him? He who?" Anna looked at Hao, who seemed to have understood who Yoh meant, for his face was pale.

"The man who killed our parents." Yoh answered, in an even lower voice.

**I bet I scared you guys, didn't I? XD Sorry, but I did warn you that the cliff hangers would be back! XD I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Silent now had 94 reviews! =DD That's the most amount of reviews I ever received!! I'm so happy!!! T_T And to those wondering, it has 86 pages, not counting my notes at the end of each chapter! Some of you were asking me when was going to be the next YohXAnna moment… Well, the ones in this chapter weren't planned (actually, just the ending was planned), but the next big YohxAnna moment will be on chapter 12. ^^ **

**Oh! A warning: I won't have as much free time as I had during the past 2 months, so probably my updates will be slower now… But no worries, you won't have to wait more than a month for an update. If you do, I will apologize. ^^" **


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

They went to the Yoh and Hao's house soon after. Hao was desperate; he wanted to get Yoh out of there as soon as possible. He kept looking from side to side while they ran across the park, his arms around Yoh's shoulder, as if shielding him from everyone around. Anna was behind them, looking around as well. Damn. He was there, at the park. He could be looking at them right at that moment! He could be following them! Damn it!

They ran towards the car and closed the door quickly. Yoh was still in a bit of shock, which only worried Hao even more. Anna closed the door and looked at the two of them, not knowing what to do.

"What happened?!" Amidamaru asked worried, looking at the three of them. Anna knew that if she was in Amidamaru's position, not knowing about the twin's situation and what happened, she would ask the same question. But right now it just really annoyed her.

"We need to go back to your home." Anna said, and looked at Amidamaru, who understood the order.

"Are you insane?" Hao yelled, and then looked at Amidamaru "Don't go there!"

"Why not? It's safe there! There are three cops!" She was insane? Did he actually want them to stay there? At their house there were three cops! _Three_ cops! The point of living with those idiots was so that they could protect the two of them in case something like that happened! He wanted them to not go there? And then he had the nerve to ask if she was insane?!

"Yes, but_ he_ was here! He may have followed us! If he finds out where we are hiding, do you think he will hesitate before killing us?!" At that Yoh sobbed and Amidamaru gasped. Hao hugged his brother tightly, but ignored Amidamaru.

"We don't know for how long he is here! He may already know where you guys are hiding!" Anna argued "We need to talk to the cops!"

"But if he doesn't, that will only reveal our secret." Hao's voice now was calmer, which surprised Anna. But then she noticed Yoh, who looked like a terrified little puppy who just saw someone who would constantly abuse it.

And what annoyed Anna the most was that she knew he was right. But then where would they go? If they stayed there the chances of being killed were greater. At the twin's house they had the cops that could protect them, and they needed to know about this.

But what if that gave away their location? They lived in an isolated area, it wouldn't be hard for the killer to breaking in and kill everyone. He managed to dodge the law for 7 years, the only think standing in his way a, up until a few months ago, mute boy. He wasn't stupid, he knew what to do.

Anna felt her body shaking as realizations hit her. They were in really big trouble! How could everything change so fast? It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago she was watching the sunset with Yoh.

"But it's safer there than anywhere else." Anna concluded.

"I… I agree." Yoh said, his voice still broken, getting Hao and Anna's full attention "It's safer there. And… He can't find out where Anna lives. So we need to go there."

"But Yoh…" Hao looked at his brother, worry clearly showing.

"It's safer there, Hao." Yoh sounded sure, even though he was still shaking and breathing hard. He was having trouble dealing with all of that was happening, Anna could easily see that, but was trying to be strong. He was trying to act brave, probably because Anna was there and he didn't want to scare. Which was just ridiculous, he almost went soulless again and then said the assassin was with them at the park, what could a little bit of desperate crying do? Certainly it wouldn't scare Anna as much as the idea of a psycho killer following them around.

"Are you sure of that?" Hao looked at his brother worried. It was obvious that the older twin was trying to find out what would make the younger one feel better. They looked into each other's eye for a second, and Hao nodded and looked at Anna.

"Takes us home, Anna, please."

Anna nodded and gave Amidamaru the order. Soon after the car had started, and going slowly towards Funbari.

The car ride was slow, the three of them quiet. Yoh's head was down the entire time, his bangs hiding his face. Hao kept looking at his brother the entire time, worried, making sure he was okay and calling his name every now and then, making sure he wouldn't lose his brother again.

Anna was looking out the window the entire time, thinking. The killer was back. God, he was there, in Tokyo. She looked at the cars, trying to see if throw the windows. Any of them could be the killer, following them, trying to know where Yoh was. What would happen now? If Yoh was left alone at any time, he could easily kill him. He could follow them to school and kill Yoh while he went to the bathroom… Who was she kidding, Yoh didn't even need to be alone! He could just break in and kill everyone!

And they didn't even know what he looked like! They don't know who to watch out for! The only way to be safe was for Yoh to tell them who he was, and he wasn't ready for that! He almost lost it a few minutes ago, just by looking at his face! Yoh wasn't ready to talk about that! He needed more time… If they forced him to talk right now, they would lose him.

What to do? They needed to go somewhere safe. Somewhere that even if he could get to them, wouldn't be able to get to Yoh without being noticed. They needed protection… They needed time.

And just when everything was starting to go in the right direction! Anna realized that she loved Yoh, Hao confirmed that he felt the same way towards her and they finally told her everything. After things were right, comfortable, nice, tolerable and extremely close to perfect, the killer shows up.

Yoh was making so much progress! Even Anna could see that! He talked a bit more and seemed a bit happier. She would stare at him for a long time during class, when he was looking outside the window, noticing the clouds passing by with a small smile on his lips… She would stare at him for so long, noticing how his brown hair contrasted and pale skin and how the smile made him look so peaceful… And when he was concentrated in his drawings… Anna could just stare at that him working on them for hours.

And when they exchanged looks and shy smiles she felt like a little 10 year old with her first crush, especially when Hao was teasing the two of them. But sometimes they could talk for hours, or stay silent, staring into nothing, just enjoying each other's company. Everything was going so well!

But now… Anna was scared. Not because a psycho killer was stalking her future husband, ok, that was a bit scary, but because she had no idea of what was going to happen. No, that wasn't true. She knew what would happen. And that's what scared her. They were going to leave her.

Anna bit her bottom lip. She could feel that, their time slipping away. They were going to leave Tokyo, since it was no longer safe. Damn it… The terrible ache wouldn't go away! Why?! Why did that have to happened?! She lost them once, 7 years ago and she didn't want to lose them again!

That had to be something she could do! But what…? What could she do to keep them here, in some place safe until that bastard was caught?

Soon, a bit too soon in Anna's opinion, they arrived at their house. Hao was the first to get out of the car, closing the door soon after, telling them to wait inside, just to make sure it was safe. Yoh looked at him when he said that, eyes wide with fear, but the older twin only gave him a reassuring smile before closing the door, looking around and going inside… Leaving Yoh and Anna all alone.

"Yoh…?" she called, a in a low voice. The boy was looking out the window worried, not moving a muscle. She moved closer, not knowing what to do. Anna was no good at that. That was an understatement, actually. She was basically useless at situations like this, where there was a lot of stress.

Anna could still remember the one time she and Yoh got lost while walking at the park. They didn't know their way back, and Yoh kept holding her hand, whimpering, asking if she thought they would find a way back and if Onii-chan was worried about them. Of course, Anna was getting really irritated after a few minutes of Yoh complaining, crying and asking questions that she couldn't possibly know the answer that she yelled at him. The poor boy got so scared he walked five steps behind her after that, not looking up once and never saying a word. Needless to say, Anna felt guilty, but didn't know what to do. She just wasn't good at this kind of things, giving reassuring smiles and saying everything will be okay. Those were things that Hao and Yoh usually did, not her.

And now she found herself in the same situation. Yoh needing someone to comfort him, something that Hao would usually do, but Anna being the only one around.

"Yoh…" she called again, this time louder. And it seemed to have worked, since he turned to look at her, with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry…" his voice was shaking a little, and he was cleaning the tears that were forming on the side of his eyes with his sleeve "I must have really scared you, huh? I'm sorry…"

Anna just looked at him.

"You don't need to worry, though. I don't want you to get involved on this… So don't worry." He smiled "So once I go inside, just forget everything ok? You'll be safe and there will be nothing to worry about. Everything will be all right."

Is it just her or was there something really wrong with the scene just now? Yoh was the one who needed comfort, yet he was the one with the reassuring smile saying that everything would turn out okay. Anna was the one who needed to say those words to him, yet she was the one being comforted by them. Not like you usually see in the movies.

"Are you high or something?!" Anna asked, obviously annoyed "Don't pretend to me, idiot! I know there is something wrong, and denying that won't change the situation! Stop pretending!" she looked down "I know I'm not good at situations where there is a lot of stress but…"

But before she could go on, Hao opened the door, interrupting her little speech.

"They want us to go inside. Fast." He then looked at Anna and Amidamaru "You too as well."

And Yoh soon left, forgetting Anna and the moment they were having just a few seconds ago.

"You were so close to saying something touching to him…." Amidamaru said, shaking his head "Master Hao-sama knows when to make his presence known."

Anna sighed.

"Yeah, the idiot already ruined dozens moments when I was alone with Yoh." She said, sighed and opening the door of the car, going inside without waiting for Amidamaru.

As soon as she got in she was greeted by the three idiots who she hated. The weird mustache guy seemed in an incredible bad mood, pacing around even angrier than usual, which Anna never thought it was possible. Really, he was walking around, his big fat hand waving in the air as he yelled at Yoh and Hao. Well, Anna assumed he was yelling at Yoh first and Hao soon got angry and stood up to defend his little brother. Now the two were yelling at each other, with Yoh and the other two cops watching, waiting for her and Amidamaru to go inside.

"Are you blaming us?!" Anna hear Hao yelling "You think we were the ones who wanted the man who killed our parents and is after my brother and I to come here? Are you insane?!"

"Well, it sure seems that's what _he_ wants!" the man pointed at Yoh, who had gave Anna a weak smile as she came in. "If he cared about his parents or you he would be telling us right now who the man is so we could get all of this over with!"

"Don't you dare say that." Hao had a dangerous tone in his voice, one that sent chills down Anna's spine.

"It's the truth!" He looked at Yoh angrily. It seemed like he was ready to put his hand around his throat and strangle him. "You have to tell us who is or I'll…"

"Or you nothing!" Hao was now in front of Yoh, standing between the two of them and with a look in his eyes that said '_If you touch him I'll make sure you burn in hell for eternity.' _"Yoh will talk when he is ready to talk, I don't care how long it takes!"

"Well, I do! I can't waste my life protecting that imbecile!" Anna looked at Hao nervously. She knew that the long haired boy was reaching his limit and was this close to become a murder himself. Insulting Yoh had not helped the cop's chance of surviving this argument.

"No one is forcing Yoh to say anything that he doesn't want to." Hao said, sitting down beside his brother and putting an arm around him "I'm not going to put Yoh through that again."

"So what are we suppose to do?" The woman said, finally joining the conversation. Anna looked at her and then at Hao, waiting for what they were going to say. She closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. Her heart beating fast and her breath caught on her throat. No… They couldn't say it… Please don't let them say it… Please don't let it be true…

"The city is no longer safe." Said the third cop "We need to move."

Anna could feel her heart sinking. No… So they were leaving, just like she feared. She heard Amidamaru gasp and look at her worried. This couldn't be happening… They couldn't be separated again!

"But what about Anna?" Yoh asked in a low voice, looking at her "He saw me with her… And she is the Kyouyama Family heiress… She is… Danger as well."

Oh. Yeah, he was right. Somehow she was so worried with Yoh and so afraid of the situation that she forgot that she was in danger. The reason why they didn't want to go to her house right away was for him not to follow them there, but it never occurred to her that he may have seen her with them in the park.

So basically she was now in danger as well, just the perfect cherry to top all of the events that happened, right?

There was a silence, no one knowing what to answer.

"Maybe she could move with them." The woman said. "We could protect her and…"

Anna thought. What difference would it be? Yoh would be safe, she would be with them and miles away from Tamao. Sure, she would miss Amidamaru and the others but it was better that way, wasn't it?

"No." Hao shook his head "It won't make a difference."

"What do you mean?" Anna was the one who asked. Yoh nodded his head, as if he knew what his brother was thinking. Which probably was the case.

"He followed us here." He answered "If we moved, what would stop him from following us again?"

The thought scared the hell out of Anna. As if it wasn't enough that the guy was a murder who was threatening Yoh and Hao he was also a stalker. She could easily imagine them moving from city to city; scared of going out because they knew he would be waiting for them. She could imagine Yoh closing himself again, soon not being able to speak and then not showing emotions. And wasn't the point of Yoh going back to school and hanging out with her to return some normality into his life so he could eventually talk about what happened that night?

How would moving all the time help him?

"Then what do you suppose we do?" asked the weird mustache cop "You want us to stay here, in this isolated area your crazy grandparents bought?! It's not safe here!"

"But we can't move from Tokyo, it would make no difference." The third cop said.

Really? What could they do?

"Er… I'm not sure what is going on but…" Amidamaru said in a shaky voice "But if you need a safe place… I think I know one."

They all turned to look at Amidamaru, finally acknowledging his presence. Anna couldn't help but feeling annoyed at him. If he knew of a safe place all this time why didn't he say something instead of leaving them ranting? She was here, worried sick that maybe she was going to lose her best friends forever and he knew of a safe place all this time!

Maybe it wasn't his fault entirely, he had no idea how serious the situation was… But still, to Anna that was no excuse! She would have to have a long talk with him about saying all the ideas of his ideas.

No, that wasn't such a good idea… Last time they put their ideas into action she ended up having a very embarrassing dinner with Yoh.

"Where?" Weird-mustache cop asked, not sounding like he believed him.

"The Kyouyama Mansion right here in Tokyo." Amidamaru answered, looking at everyone. He sighed when noticed that no one had understood him. "It's a mansion; there is enough space for each one of you have their own room and more to spare."

"But that doesn't make a place safe." The third cop said, a bit disappointed. Probably he thought maybe he put too much hope on Amidamaru.

Anna knew better. She knew that even though what Amidamaru said didn't make sense in her head, he had a reason to believe her house was safe. Sure, no one ever broke in and killed anyone in there, but that wasn't enough to classify it as a safe hiding place. Especially when the one you are trying to hide from is a murder who also happens to be a stalker.

Why would he say it's safe? It was only a really big room with many rooms in a rich neighborhood; which meant all the houses around it were just like hers: Big, beautiful and full of expensive things. That was actually one of the reasons for all the security they offered in that neighborhood. There were various security cameras in just one house, and if anyone saw anything suspicious in one of the monitors they would call the police right away. Anna could remember this one time where someone saw a person walking around their home again and again, so he called the police, thinking it was thief trying to figure out the best way to break in. End up the person was a boy who had been secretly dating the man's daughter, and he was nervous for she would introduce them that night. The people at her neighborhood were so paranoid that…

Anna blinked, finally getting what Amidamaru meant. Of course! Why didn't she think of that before? There were hundreds of cameras in her house alone; with the same amount of cameras in the other's house, there was no way someone could pass by undetected. If someone kept walking by her house, or a car stopped right in front of it, these three cops could know immediately. And in case some else from the neighborhood saw a suspicious person they would also call the police.

Plus, in the rare scenario where he, somehow, was able to go by undetected and killed them, chances were her neighbors would found out soon enough and this time he would be caught. Not exactly a reassuring thought, but it was nice to know that unlike what happened years ago, he wouldn't have all the time in the world to perform his crime. Unlike the Asakura Mansion or this house, the Kyouyama Mansion wasn't isolated.

It was perfect!

"I still don't get it, Amidamaru." Hao said, breaking Anna from her chain of thoughts. Wow. She figured something out before Hao. She felt proud of herself and an urge to rub it in his face, but knew that if she did that he would probably come up with some sarcastic reply… Which she could answer it, she really could, it's just that she wasn't in the mood for an argument.

"The cameras Hao." Yoh said, looking at his older brother. So even Yoh noticed…Ok, forget being proud, maybe it was just that Hao was too worried to think at the moment. "The big mansions, the security guards… Even if he follows there, there is now way he won't be seen."

Hao stayed silent along with the others. It was true that he would probably follow them everywhere they went, but in this case, he wouldn't be able to stay unnoticed for very long, like he did until now.

"That… could work." The woman said, nodding her head with a thoughtful expression. "And you said we each get our own room?"

"Yes, of course." Amidamaru answered "The mansion is really big, you can chose the room of your preference. We may even move the children to rooms closer to yours, so they would be safe."

"Yes… But those two never separate. I bet they even go to each other's room during the night." The third cop said.

"When I said children, I meant Anna as well." He gave her a quick look "Wanting or not, she is part of this right now. This man saw her, so that means that he may use her as something to bargain a deal. She is a big part of it as well."

Anna than looked at Yoh, worried. He was now looking at the ground, his bangs covering his face. She could even imagine what was going on his head. He was probably blaming himself, insulting himself. Saying things like _"you're an idiot! Now Anna is involved in this mess!" _ or "_this is all my fault… If only I could tell them what happened…"_

What an idiot. No one blamed him. Ok, maybe weird-mustache guy did, but he doesn't count. No one blamed him for what was going on. He was the victim here. Like Hao, she wanted him to only speak when ready to. No way did she want

him to have a nervous breakdown and stay mute for another 7 years. He wasn't ready to talk, everyone could see that. No one was going to force him to. They just wanted the best for him.

It was like what Hao said: His parents are dead already. Yoh is alive. He is their priority.

"I guess it's safe." Hao said, smiling. Weird mustache guy stormed away angry, probably for not getting his way. He wanted Yoh to talk so they could close the case and get everything over with. "The faster we move in the better."

"You two go tonight." The woman said. "Go to your rooms and pack everything. You'll sleep in the Kyouyama mansion from now on. We will be there around 2 AM, so have someone ready to show us around and how the security system works."

"Yes ma'am." Amidamaru nodded and looked at the twins, who stood up at once and went upstairs, ready to pack.

Anna smiled. She couldn't believe this. They were really coming to live with her! They weren't leaving! Yoh and Hao would stay there, at her house! She wouldn't be as lonely as before, and the both of them would be safe! Thank God…

Feeling a sense of relief, Anna sat down on the couch. Everything would turn out ok. They would give the twins a room close to Anna's, and the cops would probably surround them. She may not be excited about the three cops moving in with her, but she sure was about the twins. Her house that for so long didn't seem like a home at all, just the stage of a play, would now have people living there. People other than her! And they were her best friends! Well, one was her best friend, the other held the title if future husband.

For the first time Anna wished that Tamao was there to see it. She would probably laugh at her face for trying to be a good girl and act happy.

Soon enough the twins came down, bringing large bags and boxes with them. The contrast between the two brothers was quite funny. While Yoh was a bit clumsy and not really careful, Hao seemed to carry everything with great care, as if it were a fragile newborn baby.

"Ready to go?" she asked, as soon the older twin reached the first floor. He nodded with his head, and Amidamaru went to his aid. The three entered the car and rode home silently.

Yoh soon fell into a light sleep, his head resting on his brother's shoulder. Hao smiled and rested his own head against his brother's, breathing deeply, trying to relax. It had been a very stressful day for the three of them, but especially for the twins. It seemed unreal that only a few hours ago they were watching a movie, and their only concern was to get back to the car in time. The last few hours seemed like days, way too long and way too stressful for any human being.

Was that what it was like for the two of them? Always having to worry about the man who killed their parents? Did they felt that exhausted after every big event like that?

She looked at the two of them and saw that like Yoh, Hao had fallen asleep. The two looked so peaceful like that. They seemed like two normal brothers. For a second she saw them as two 7 year old kids. She remembered the many times they slept like that, Yoh resting his head on Hao's shoulder and Hao resting his on Yoh's head. Sometimes when they were playing tag, the two would run off somewhere, both being faster than her, and Anna would lose sight of them. She would only find them hours later, their backs against a tree and the two sleeping, in that exact same position.

It was nice to know some things didn't change. That even after all that confusion the two were still Hao and Yoh: The annoying twins she met years ago. Her first friends. The first two who were able to make her feel like she wasn't all alone.

And they weren't going to leave her. They were going to stay in the city. Better yet, they were going to stay with her. She still remembered the day she was forced to move, and the pain of having to leave her only two friends behind. She didn't want to go through that again. And now that she knew the danger they were in, the possibility of never seeing them again scared the hell out of her.

But they weren't moving. So she didn't need to worry. Well, she did, considering there was a killer stalking them probably this minute, but not about that. The three of them were together again. And this time, nothing would separate them.

She couldn't help but smile at the thought. Together Forever. It sounded so cliché, childish and stupid… Yet she couldn't help but love the idea.

Without noticing, her hand took a hold of her necklace, where her engagement ring was. She looked at the two sleeping boys and sighed.

Yes… Together Forever. The two of them… The three of them…

**Yay!!! Sorry I took so long, I was kind of busy the past two weeks… But this is the new chapter! I hope you guys liked it! Next Chapter has a big YohXAnna moment, so if you want to read it REVIEW IT!!!! **

**To those who want to know, Silent will have only 19 chapters! And so far, we have 95 pages of fanfic! (awesome!!! =DDD)!!! Thank you so much for all of those who reviewed the fic so far! We have more than 100 reviews and it is the first time I get so many!!!! T_T I'm so happy!!!**


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

The next morning, when they woke up, the police officers were already there, and the entire staff already knew about what happened to the twins. And they didn't even try to pretend everything they was normal. No, as soon as the two came downstairs all of the staff came running towards them, hugging them and asking if they needed help with anything or if Yoh was alright.

It was rather odd, just like a scene from Animes. Ryu and Mosuke were asking Anna what to do during the day, what to cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner and if there was going to be any special preparations now that the twins and the three detectives were living with them. Anna was answering those questions when a Hao, wearing a red track suit, his long hair tied in a ponytail, dragging a very sleepy Yoh down the stairs, who was wearing a white Yukata, just like Anna. As soon as they saw the two, Ryu and Mosuke ran towards them, ignoring the fact they just left while Anna was in the middle of giving them an order. The three maids, who were taking the plates and glasses out, also ran to the twins, and Amidamaru popped out of nowhere to join the crowd.

Hao was, not to Anna's surprise, enjoying being the center of attention. She knew he would take advantage of their pity and make unreasonable requests, knowing that they would do it without hesitating. Well, no surprise, it wouldn't be Hao if he didn't try to make the situation even more beneficial for him and his brother.

Yoh, on the other hand, was looking quite sacred with all the attention. Obviously he didn't enjoy the fact that now everyone knew about his situation. She could see he was hating the fact that they were treating him differently, that they were giving him extra attention and asking questions about his sleep and the things he needed to help him feel better.

Hao noticed that too, and he was able to, quite smoothly in Anna's opinion, get free and send everyone back to their work. It was both shocking and annoying to find out that her employers would follow Hao's orders, but not hers.

And to think that her parents were the ones who signed their paychecks. They were lucky she liked them, because in no other house they would be able to get away with that behavior.

"So, how did you like your first night here?" Anna asked, looking at the two of them with a smirk. Funny, the way they were walking towards the dining table, and the way she was asking that question made Anna feel like one of those big bosses from those movies, that would always be sitting at the edge of the table, with a smile on their faces, knowing that the future of the person who just walked in was in their hands.

"Way better than our nights at the old Inn." Hao answered, smiling "I can share a room with Yoh, so as soon as he has a nightmare, I can hear him right away and calm him down."

"You had a nightmare?" Anna asked frowning, looking at the very tired Yoh.

"One of the worse yet." Hao answered, helping his brother sit down and than doing the same "It's because he saw him yesterday, so it's only natural for him to have that reaction."

"Yeah…" Yoh's voice was really low "I'm glad Nii-chan was there… When we didn't share a room I would wake up and scream for minutes before he finally came… It is nice to have someone helping me so quickly."

Anna smiled. She knew that Yoh was talking about a beautiful brotherly moment between him and his brother, but on her mind she saw herself, years from now, sleeping by Yoh's side and talking him out of a nightmare.

Yeah… She really like the idea of the two of them being married, having an Inn, a family… Sharing a bed… She liked the idea of her being the one to be there for Yoh, of him trusting her enough to tell her his nightmares.

"Was your dream really bad?" Anna asked, trying to understand the situation a bit better. But to her surprise, Yoh didn't answer. He just looked down, with that expression she began to know and hate. "Yoh…?"

"I told you already, Anna, his nightmares are about that night and he doesn't talk about it."

Oh. Right. Yoh never talked about those things. Never ever. Not even to Hao, his dead older brother who helped him so much and protected him almost all the time.

It seems like it would take a long time before that picture of Anna being the one hearing about his nightmares happens. First he will tell Hao, and then, years after he opens up to the long haired twin will he open up to Anna, his future wife. She will just have to have patience. Easy enough, right?

Of course, it is easier said than done.

"So the three idiots must have arrived already, if everyone knows about our situation." Hao said, trying to change the subject and make Yoh more comfortable.

"Yep." Anna nodded "According to Mosuke, they arrived around 3AM, and that they woke up the entire staff and explained the situation. After that Mosuke explained how our security system worked, showed him the cameras and the power central, where you can control everything. Right now they are all sleeping, on the third floor."

"The third floor?" Yoh asked, looking up "Why there?"

"Yeah, I thought they would want to stay the closest to us as possible."

"The Power Central is on the third floor." Anna explained "If they stay there they can pretty much keep an eye on the entire house and be the firsts ones to know it if something suspicious happens."

"Well… As long as they don't try to talk with Yoh, I'm happy." Hao said,

"That's mean, Hao." Yoh frowned.

"I'm serious! I'm okay with them living here with us, as long as they stay far away from you."

"You mean living with me, right?" Of course, she was ignored.

"Then how would they protect us?"

"They have guns, don't they?" Has sighed "Whatever, I just don't want them talking to you. I can't lose you again."

Anna couldn't help but notice Yoh's eyes turning down, as if he felt guilty about something. It didn't take a genius to figure out why he was feeling like that. Obviously he was feeling guilty about worrying his brother for so long, for making him take care of him and make him go through all this.

Which is just stupid! Yoh had to learn that no one blamed him, that they loved him and that's why they were worried! Seriously, sometimes she felt like slapping some sense into that kid.

"Breakfast is ready!" Ryu called, coming from the kitchen, bringing with him a food cart, with the help of Mosuke.

Yes, a food cart. She couldn't believe it herself. They _never_ brought the food cart. Never. When her parents had big fancy parties they would make a buffet, use heating pans and all that kind of things you find at restaurants. But they never used a food cart. Especially not when there was no special occasion. Because food cart equals large amounts of food. Which was unnecessary considering Ryu cooked only to Anna, since her parents were always out.

True that five people just moved in but… It was breakfast! Why bring so much food out? Especially since three of the people were still sleeping?

Sometimes she just couldn't understand them.

"I tried making everything you like, Yoh-sama!" Ryu said, smiling at him "I hope you enjoy it, I did my best!"

"I'm sure everything you made is fine, Ryu." Yoh said, smiling shyly.

"Fine is not enough!" Ryu yelled, running close to the shorthaired boy, his eyes shining and tears running down his face "For someone like you, who has gone through so much and yet is still able to be so kind and smile, you deserve the best!!!"

"I'm… I'm not that great, Ryu, really…" How cute… Now Yoh's face was red.

"You inspire me, Yoh-sama!!!" he grabbed both his hands, scaring him even more. "I want to be just like you!"

"Like me…?" Yoh looked at Hao and then at Anna, who were just as confused as him.

"How can you be so kind and optimistic? Please Yoh-sama, teach me! Be my Master!" Ryu continued to ask, oblivious to the fact that he was making his _master_ uncomfortable.

"I… Well…" Anna noticed him looking at Hao, with eyes that were clearly saying _help me!!_

And she wasn't the only one who noticed, since Amidamaru appeared soon after and asked Ryu to help him with something, telling he wanted to know good recipes to two friends of him, Tokageroh and Bason, and wanted to know what Ryu would recommend.

"That was interesting…" Anna said, with a smirk, looking at the two of them going away and leaving the three alone.

But when she turned to the twins, she noticed that Yoh was looking down, again with that guilty look on his face.

Something was really wrong with him…

The rest of the morning went pretty slow. They ate breakfast, talking about random things, like school, their friends and plans for the weekend. It was Sunday, and tomorrow they would have to again go to that hell… And Anna would have to see Tamao. She wasn't ready for that. She didn't want to see another one of her fail attempts to get Yoh to be her boyfriend. Especially not after what happened yesterday at the movies and right after that seeing the killer.

She knew Pirika would probably try to come up with another way to set Yoh and Tamao up. She needed to think of something… Some way to show them that, even though they weren't together, Yoh belonged to her and her alone. Anna knew she would have to come up with something.

But what?

Other things they talked about were Anna's parents and their parties, the movie they saw, their childhood games… But never about the reason why Yoh and Hao were there. They avoided that subject altogether, knowing that it would make Yoh uncomfortable.

After breakfast they all changed and stayed in the living room, looking over some old photographs and Yoh drawing in his notebook. It was a pretty boring and normal morning…

Around noon, about an hour before lunch, the cops woke up. They went downstairs searching for them, apparently because they needed to discuss a few things.

First they told them that they had to avoid walking by themselves. It was too dangerous, so while going from one place to another they should stay inside Amidamaru's car, or at least stay somewhere full of people, so he wouldn't be able to do anything against them. They should also avoid doing anything outside the house; if they were going out, they needed to let one of the detectives go with them.

Also, the only people who were allowed inside the house were people the Kyouyama family. So only Anna's friends and her parents' acquaintances were allowed in.

Not as strict as it could be, but Anna guessed that maybe they were still trying to keep Yoh's life as normal as possible; and they probably wouldn't want people at school or Anna's neighbors to get suspicious, causing a big commotion.

And during lunch Anna found out that her parents would be back from their business trip in the middle of the week. They would, of course, need to be notified about the situation. Not that it made any difference, really. Anna knew her parents well. They would probably just throw some fancy business party, Anna would be allowed to invite someone even though she didn't want to, and then about a week later they would be going to another trip. Probably they wouldn't even see them since they would either be at their room, office or out in a date or with some of their friends and business partners.

They wouldn't even notice or care if Yoh, Hao and three other strangers were at the house.

She would only have to put up with them until her high school ended, then she would move out and start her own life. Her own life with Yoh.

The rest of the day was pretty much like the morning. The only difference was that every now and then one of the cops came from the Power Central to check on them. It was a boring day, quite normal, nothing special happening.

At around 7 PM Hao finally remembered Anna's wall. He realized that now that he lived there, he could go inside the room and take a look for as long as he liked. Of course, he forgot that the room was Anna's and that he would need permission to go inside it but…

She would let him go. Just this one time, though. She wanted to have some time alone with Yoh. She needed to talk to him.

They were outside, at the patio they had their romantic dinner, star gazing. Yoh had that look on his face, the one that was both thoughtful and blank; the one which you can't figure out if he is thinking about something really deep or about to go to sleep. The same look that sometimes made Anna's heart skip a few beats, and her face become red.

Focus! She needed to focus! She needed to ask him some questions. She needed to talk to him, give him a piece of her mind.

"Yoh…?" she called, looking at him.

He turned his head to look at her, a small smile on his face, indicating that he was listening.

"Are you ok?"

"Of course I am, Anna." He laughed "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You don't look ok."

"I don't?" a frown then another laugh "That's silly Anna, why wouldn't I be ok?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking!" now she was getting angry. He was laughing? She knew what she saw earlier! "I know you are upset about something! I saw it during breakfast!"

"Saw what?" he had an amused smile on his face, as if he was talking to a child or an insane person.

Patience… She needed to have patience…

"I saw that you were upset! The way everyone was talking to you, and when Hao and I were talking... You look upset about something!" his eyes got wide.

"So… You noticed, huh?" his smile turned sad now.

Her answer was her silence, as if that was telling him to go on, to explain himself. And so he did:

"How can I not be upset, Anna? Look at all the trouble I'm causing!"

"Trouble…?"

"Yes!" he looked down "All because of me, because I can't… I can't…" he sighed in frustration "I can't even explain myself… Because of this _situation_ you and Hao are in trouble!"

"Is that the problem?" she looked almost shocked. _That _is what was upsetting him? He was blaming himself so he got all depressed? Because of _that_?

"It's a big problem! I'm putting everyone that I care about in danger, just because I'm not strong enough!" He looked down, and Anna could swear he was about to cry "I don't remember much from the past 7 years, it's very confusing… But I do remember Hao dragging me around, helping me with everything…" his voice got calmer now "He was always there for me, he was always helping me… He didn't get to have a normal childhood because of me. Instead of doing what people of our age were doing, Hao was acting like a 40 year old man, he was forced to grow up so fast so he could take of me... And how do I repay him for all that he is done for me? By putting his life in danger!" his hands covered his eyes, and finally he let the tears run down his face, holding back a few sobs "I'm the worst brother ever."

"Don't say that."

"But I am… Hao's life is in danger and is all because of me! He does so much and all I do is cause even more trouble…" a bitter smile appeared on his life "He probably hates me…"

Ok, enough was enough. As soon as he said that Anna stood up and slapped him in the face with her left hand. He was shocked, but didn't say anything, just stared at her, his eyes too wide for tears to come out.

"Don't you ever say that!" she started, her anger making hard for her to breath "Don't you ever say that! Do you have any idea how much Hao loves you? Do you think that if he didn't care for you he would do a quarter of what he does for you? He adores you! Way too much for a brother, in my opinion! I've never seen someone caring so much for someone! He told me he didn't care if the psycho idiot who killed your parents was caught or not, he just wants to make you happy! Heck, I think that once we get married he will live with us and go to our room in the middle of the night checking to see if you are oka…"

Oh crap. She did not just say that, did she? Did she actually say _once we get married_? In a way that sounded that she was planning to do that? That she had already pictured it?

She did. Oh God, she did. She might as well have said that she loved him and make him even more worried! And what about her plan of letting him be the first to confess his feelings? What would he think of her? Would he try to distance himself so she wouldn't be in even more danger? Damn it, why did she have to say that?! She was just suppose to prove to Yoh that Hao cared him, not tell him all about her daydreams of the two of them spending the rest of their lives together!

But as she was mentally kicking herself, Anna heard him laughing.

"Yeah, you're write." He said, with a sad smile "He would probably not care about our privacy at all, just barge in." his laugh continued "Maybe he would even go to our honeymoon with us, renting a room right next door!"

"Yeah… He would do that." A frown "I have to make sure to tie him someplace and make sure he doesn't get out until we get back."

"That wouldn't stop Nii-chan." He said with a smile.

"It would hold him for a while though."

"Maybe…" he smiled and was silent for a while, before moving on "And I have to apologize to you, Anna."

"For what?"

"For getting you involved in all this." He sighed "I'm sorry, I never wanted you to get mixed up in this mess! I didn't want you to know about it in the first place, and now your life is danger, and it's all because of me…"

"Don't worry about it." She shrugged "It is partly my fault since I knew you had a stalker thirsty for blood on your tail and yet I still chose to be with you."

"But still, I should have been more careful."

"What would you do? Stay away from me? I wouldn't allow that, you know."

"But it would be safer." He looked down "I don't want anyone I love getting hurt or… or worse because I can't…"

He said love. He said _love!_ It wasn't a confession, but it was enough for Anna to feel like her dream of them owning an Inn together in the future becoming almost a fact.

"Yoh, we don't care about any of that crap. We care about you and we will do anything for you. None of us cares about the danger or things like that. We only want to keep you safe and by our sides… And happy, of course. As long as your happiness is not with Tamao, if it is, then I won't let you be happy."

He laughed.

"Stop worrying. Stop blaming yourself. No one but you thinks that this is your fault."

"But…"

"Yoh." She was serious now "No. One. Thinks. This. Is. Your. Fault. So shut up and get over this guilt you're feeling."

"Anna…."

"I don't want to hear it!" she said, raising her hands "If you say it's your fault one more time I'm going to slap you! Hard!"

"But…"

"I'm serious!" she raised her left hand even higher "Just try it." He stayed silent. "Good."

Her hands went down.

"I know this is hard for you, and you think you are weak but…" she sighed "It's like Ryu said, you are an amazing person. You saw both of your parents being murdered, you saved Hao's life and even after all of this you don't feel sorry for yourself. You are not saying things like _I saw my parents being murdered, pity me!_ You are holding your head high and trying to live normally. You smile and don't try to buy people's sympathy. So what if you can't talk about that night? Who would? None of us understand what you are going through Yoh, none of us understand your pain. You may have lost your voice and gone zombie for a while, but you came back, didn't you? And you don't even think about getting revenge or about how _your _life is danger. You are worried about me and Hao instead. And you still find a way to put a smile on your face. That is pretty amazing. And strong. It's amazingly strong."

"Not really." He sighs "Most of my smiles are fake."

"Most of people can't tell that." She smiled at him "Stop worrying about it."

"But…"

She moved closer to him, placing her index finger on his lips, stopping him midsentence, their faces only a few inches away.

"Stop worrying." She said, slower this time, her lips forming a combination between a smile and a smirk.

He smiled back.

"Okay…" he said, sighing and looking up to the stars, her finger never leaving his lips "The stars are amazing tonight…"

"They are…" she said, tilting her head up as well "Can you find Anna?"

"Of course I can!" he smiled and pointed to a star behind her, his arm going over her shoulder "That's her!"

She tilted her head in that direction.

"Amazing… You really can see her in the middle of all those other stars."

"Of course I can!" he smiled "She is my special star. She is my Anna!"

"Your Anna?"

"Yes." He smiled "My Anna. I love her more than all the other stars!"

"Really? I never thought you…."

Her voice trailed off as she turned around to face him again and finally noticed how close they were.

They were close. Really close. Close enough that she could almost feel his breath.

And apparently she wasn't the only one who noticed, because his smile shrunk in size, and he swallowed his breath and looked at her nervously. His arm went down, meeting her shoulder, and then slid down, until his hand touched the back of her neck.

They stayed like that, neither of them moving or saying anything, just looking at each other's eyes and lips, not knowing what to do.

They were so close. The distance between them was all Anna could think about as her finger left his lips and her arm fell to her side. God, they were so close that just by moving a little bit their lips would meet. She could just go ahead and eliminate the space between them, kissing him just like she wanted for oh so long…

It was going to be her first kiss. Her first kiss with the love of her life, what could be more romantic? Well, technically it wasn't her first kiss. She remembered this one boy in Kyoto who went to her parents parties when she was 13, a boy she didn't know, who came and kissed her suddenly, then introducing himself.

Needless to say, the boy was hospitalized and Anna's parents were almost sued. Good thing they had a great lawyer.

But not counting that one, this was going to be her first kiss. And she was pretty sure it was going to be Yoh's as well.

Now if only she moved…

As if reading her thoughts, Yoh's eyes started closing and he slowly moved his head closer to hers. Following his lead, Anna did the same.

Her heart was beating fast and she could bet all her family's money that she was blushing. She could actually feel his breath now.

They were going to do it. They were going to kiss. She could almost feel it when…

"There you are!" they heard Hao's voice and jerked back. A second later he appeared at the door that lead to the inside of the house "I've been looking everywhere for the two of you! Dinner is ready, come on!"

Yoh looked at her and smiled before turning around and following his brother.

"Coming!" he said, as he ran to the dining room. Hao stayed at the door looking at her.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked, blinking innocently.

If looks could kill the one Anna sent Hao would drag him directly to hell. Slowly she walked inside, but not before stepping in his foot with all her strength.

**I hope everyone liked the YohXAnna scene. T_T I said that last chapter and every single review said something about it! While writing I was like "Damn it… I feel the pressure… What if they don't like it?What if it's bellow their expectations? ARRGHHHH!!!! I can't do it! Failure… Die…"**

**Either way, I hope you all liked it! Now we have 121 reviews and 105 pages!!! =DDD And look forward to chapter 14! Something will happen that all of you will like it… Plus is the last chapter before *an ambulance passing down the street is too loud and no one can hear what she said* So enjoy it!!! =D**

**Thanks for all the reviews!! T_T**


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

She was angry. She was so angry. Some might say that this wasn't something new. But oh, was she mad! She was going to kill Hao as soon as she finds him! No wonder he skipped the entire afternoon class! He was probably hiding, having some sense and wanting to prolong his life a little longer.

But class was over and Amidamaru was waiting for the three of them. He had to go with her in the car. In other words: His time was up.

"Where is he, Anna-dono?" Amidamaru asked, looking at his young mistress and Yoh, the three of them waiting the long haired twin.

"Hiding." Anna said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why would he hide?" Amidamaru asked curious.

"Because Anna is mad him." Yoh smiled, looking at the driver, who nodded his head, understanding now "He invited our friends to the party two weeks from now."

"Your parents party?" Amidamaru asked, looking at Anna "Why are you angry about that?"

"Because I don't want Tamao at my house." she looked around. Where the hell was that idiot?

"I still don't get why you hate her so much." Yoh said.

"That's simple, Yoh-sama, Anna-dono doesn't like Tamamura-san because…" Fortunately was close enough for Anna to step on his foot and interrupt him.

"That's enough!" she said, looking at the two of them. "I'll go find that idiot. Yoh, wait in the car. Amidamaru, stay with him!"

They exchanged looks before obeying her order, shutting the door and locking it.

Good. Now she could find and kill Hao.

The twins had been living with her for about 23 days, and the night before she received a phone call from her parents, who were at France, on some business trip. Well, at first it was a business trip, but then they decided to take some vacation there, visiting lots and lots of places, and finally they were returning.

They would arrive this Thursday, and next Saturday they would have one of their famous parties. Anna was less than enthusiastic to have her parents back and have to attend another one of those parties. But at least she would have Yoh and Hao with her at the party, making it a little more tolerable.

Or so she thought. Because today, the day after she received this news, Hao decided to invite their friends to go as well. She remembered the scene perfectly. He stood up, saying that he needed to get something at their classroom, and right before leaving he said.

"Oh yeah. Anna's parents are having a fancy party, and we want you all to come."

Then he smiled and left, before Anna could have any reaction.

Needless to say, the others were very happy about the idea, all smiling and laughing, Pirika saying she would decided everyone's clothes.

And then she said she would help Tamao get a makeover. She looked at Yoh and smiled diabolically, and Tamao got red, but also opening a small smile, probably imagining herself with _Anna's_ Yoh.

That did it. That got her so annoyed she swore to kill Hao as soon as he came. But he didn't came back. And when they returned to the classroom, he wasn't there either. He hid all day.

Probably because he knew Anna would kill for inviting Tamao to that party. And the fact that he interrupted that scene 23 days ago. Nothing like that happened again, much to her displeasure.

Anna knew Hao wanted her and his brother to end up together instead of Tamao and Yoh, but he just enjoyed making her miserable. And for that he was going to pay.

She searched the building, losing her patience at every second that went by. Really, why was he doing that?

After 20 minutes, Anna was about to give up when on searching and go back to the car, assuming he was there already, when she heard a door opening a few feet away from her.

Oh… Now she had him.

Quickly and silently she turned around and walked the distance needed for her to slap him with all her strength.

"You didn't need to do that!" Hao said, standing up, a hand on his now red cheek.

"You're right, you deserve a lot more." She crossed her arms "But I need you alive, otherwise Yoh will cry."

"You're concern for me is moving."

"Either way, we need to go." She look at the door he came from, frowning when she noticed what it was "You were hiding on that bathroom the entire time?"

"Pretty much." He shrugged "This school has no good places for hiding. Plus, I needed someplace close to our classroom in case Yoh needed me."

"You underestimate him, you know that?"

"You do that as well."

"What?" that surprised her.

"You underestimate him." He smiled "You think he is going to fall for Tamao. Or at least you are afraid that he will fall for those cheap scams that Pirika comes up with." He sighed "Give Yoh some credit. He has eyes for no one but you. Apparently my brother has a terrible taste on women. The boy likes to suffer, you would never expect that when seeing him smile."

"I'm not afraid of Tamao!" She decided it would be better to ignore that last part… For his sake "And I know Yoh loves me! It's just… It's just annoying! He is mine and mine alone! I don't like to have other people looking at him or trying to seduce him!"

"In other words: You're jealous." He smirked.

"I'm not!" would Yoh mind not having a twin anymore? "I don't need to be jealous of Tamao! As long as she stays away from Yoh, I'll be fine and she won't be at the hospital."

"Then why don't you just tell Yoh that?"

"I would… But someone keeps trying to get her involver with him." She glared "Speaking of which, why did you invite her and the other members of the loser club to the party?"

"Mainly to annoy you." She glared at him, which made him roll his eyes "And because I know you wanted to mess with her, show off that now Yoh is living with you and how close you two got, right? Isn't that the perfect opportunity?"

She hadn't thought of that. It is true that she wanted to show Tamao how Yoh belonged to her and loved her so she would finally back off. She never really saw that party as an opportunity to do that. To her it was just another annoyance, something that she would have to get through. But now that Hao mentioned, Anna could use that as her chance to show off her relationship with Yoh. Sure, they weren't together _officially_ yet, but that didn't mean Tamao could just try to seduce him! Tamao knew she had almost no chance at winning Yoh's heart, yet she didn't give up.

Some people were just sour losers. But maybe now she would be able to show how what she and Yoh had was extremely close, that nothing would tear them apart. Just like when they were little kids.

And maybe with the party Yoh would finally have enough guts to confess that he has some feelings for her, even though he was not ready to talk about his parents' murder yet.

A smirk appeared on her lips. Hao could be pretty useful sometimes.

Not that she would ever tell him that.

"So that was your plan the entire time?" Anna asked.

"Yep." He smiled confidently "You have to have more faith in me, Anna. I want my brother's happiness above everything else. I will do anything to achieve it. And he doesn't want to be with Tamao. He wants to be with you."

Anna smiled.

"I care a lot about your brother too."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed "He seems to be a little happier now, living a life that is a bit more normal, with friends and school. If only I could get those cops to stop pressuring him."

"But he is not completely happy yet, is he?" Hao stayed silent "And that's what we're aiming for."

"He won't be happy until he can get this weigh off his shoulder. The man is still after us, and he blames himself for all that."

"He can't keep stalking you two for the rest of your lives." Anna said, frowning "That would be crazy!"

"I don't think he plans on waiting." His eyes darkened "Just waiting until the perfect moment to strike."

Anna's heart raced. No, she couldn't even think about that possibility! Amidamaru was always there for them, driving them everywhere! And also those cops were protecting Yoh! And so were the cameras in her neighborhood!

Yes they were safe.

But was that how they were going to live for the rest of their lives?

Hao sighed.

"Sometimes I wish Yoh was more open." Hao said "He is always so close, I always have to rely on drawings and over reading every little thing he does. I wish that he would just tell me how he is feeling instead of carrying everything on his shoulders."

"But you know that won't happen." Anna replied "He is too worried about everyone else, putting them first."

"Yeah… He was always like that. Ten years ago when he locked me in the closet… And even before that."

Anna smiled. Yes, Yoh was always like that, always caring. She remember when they were younger, before Hao had long haired, the three of them were together at recess when their teacher walked to them, angrily.

Anna immediately looked at Hao, who was sitting at Yoh's left side, with a smirk. She knew he the teacher had come for him, after all, Hao was the only one who liked to occasionally cause trouble at school, saying it was too boring and needed some entertainment.

As soon as the teacher reached the table where the three of them were eating lunch, she looked at the twins and asked which one was Hao. Of course she wouldn't know, only a few people could tell those two apart when they were wearing the school uniform, and Anna was one of those few people. But their teacher wasn't.

The two stood up together, much to Hao and Anna's surprise, and said in union that they were Hao. The teacher blinked at the two of them, Anna just stared in amaze.

"Yoh, stop pretending to be me, you'll get into trouble!" little Hao had said, looking angry.

"I have to say otouto, you can copy very well, but please, don't take the blame. You know I hate it when you do that." Yoh said, mimicking his twin with great perfection. If Anna didn't knew which one was which, she would be as confused as the teacher.

"What?! I'm not Yoh! Stop that little brother!"

"Stop copying me! I don't want you to get into trouble because of me! I'm the older brother, I take care of you!"

"No, I'm the older brother!"

"I am!"

"I'm Hao"

"No, I'm Hao!"

The two continued that, confusing the teacher and amusing Anna. It was clear that neither of them wanted to get the other into trouble, but because they could copy each other so perfectly, there was no way the teacher could know which one was telling the truth and which was lying.

But the teachers in Izumo were not a merciful creature, unlike their current homeroom teacher, Siva-sensei. And when it was about the Asakura Twins, they would never give the two a break, judging the two of them because of their family name. In the end, instead of trying to find out who was who, the teacher decided to punish them both.

And it wasn't only for Hao that Yoh did those kinds of things. He would also put Anna first all the time, giving her his lunch when she forgot hers, and giving her his umbrella when they walked home. Of course, Hao would immediately share his lunch or umbrella with him, not liking to have his twin with nothing, but it was the thought that count.

And then he almost did the ultimate sacrifice, saving Hao and ready to give up his own life for his brother's safety. Of course, Yoh had no idea how horrible Hao would feel knowing his little brother didn't hide because he didn't want the killer to find Hao. Yoh never stopped to consider how Hao would feel, all alone, losing part of him, he was only thinking of one thing: Save Hao. Surely the other would do the same if he was in Yoh's place. And Anna knew that the two would still do the same for each other, even today. A couple of idiots, in her opinion.

The two went back to the car, where Yoh greeted them with a smile. Anna blushed, and Hao smiled back.

"So Anna finally found you Hao." Yoh said, as Amidamaru closed the door.

"Yep." He sighed "Actually, I gave myself away. You give her too much credit. She never thought about looking for me in the boy's bathroom." The twins laughed, as Anna turned her face towards the window.

"I wasn't going to go in _there!_" she said. "I do have some dignity."

Yoh laughed.

"I'm surprised you are alive, Nii-chan." Yoh smiled "Anna was furious because you invited them to her parents' party."

"She still is." Hao shrugged "She is only jealous, don't worry."

"Jealous?" Yoh asked, looking at the two of them confused "Of what?"

Hao rolled his eyes.

"I love you, little brother, but sometimes you are too stupid." Yoh frowned at that. "Either way, I don't want you two to be all mushy and loving during the party, there will be other people there who won't want to see the two of you kissing."

Amidamaru had to pull the car over 30 seconds later, so he could take Anna out of the car to stop Anna from strangling the long haired boy.

After they arrived home they were greeted by the three detectives, like always. Anna was getting used to live with them. Though that didn't mean she liked it.

"What took you so long?" asked the woman, the one who Anna liked the most before. But now that she was actually living with her she changed her opinion.

"This idiot decided to hide." Anna said, glaring at Hao.

"Who could blame me? She was angry at me!"

"No one blames you, Hao." Yoh smiled nervously "I would have done the same thing."

"Are you saying I'm the one to blame, Yoh?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No Ma'am." He said, his voice shaking.

"It doesn't matter who is the one to blame! You all have to be more careful!" the woman said, looking at them angry.

"We were at school the entire time." Anna crossed her arms "And Yoh inside the car with Amidamaru. So don't worry, we're fine."

"Is your school safe?" Asked the third cop, the one who was usually quiet.

"If if it wasn't safe, Kyouyama-dono would have never placed his daughter at that school." Mosuke said, taking the students things and joining the conversation. "He takes her safety very seriously. She is the heir of the Kyouyama family."

"Are you…"

"Yes." Mosuke answered.

After that the three of them did their usual afternoon activities. Finished homework, with Amidamaru and Mosue watching over the three of them, ate some of Ryu's afternoon snacks and just hung out at the patio, waiting for the sunset.

Yoh was drawing something, so he was mostly quiet. Every now and then his head would come up from his notebook and he would make a small comment on whatever Anna and Hao were talking about. But mostly he stayed looking at his work, completely concentrated.

Hao and Anna would also look at his work every now and then as well. He was drawing a sunset, much like the one they were seeing. It was in a forest, midwinter, the snow in the tress and on the ground with an odd shine, coming from the orange sunlight, and some parts of the sky were already dark, with some stars already appearing. All in all, it was a beautiful melancholic but happy drawing. A mixture of the two.

Anna could just stare at him work for hours. He always seemed so concentrated… And now that she knew the reason, she couldn't really blame him. For so long that was the only way he could communicate, the only way he would actually get in touch with his emotions. Hao said he was completely emotionless, and Yoh himself said he doesn't remember much from that time. He probably shut himself from the world and from himself, being only a soulless shell. The only way he could actually be in touch with himself, and Hao know what was going on with his brother, was through those drawings.

It was really amazing what those two brothers accomplished. It was amazing how close connected they were and how after all that happened, they still moved forward.

"I bet Keiko-bachan and Mikihisa-ojichan would be proud." Anna said, not noticing the words slipping out of her lips.

" What?" Hao asked, his eyes wide as he looked at Anna. Yoh's head went up as well.

"I mean, you two are the strongest people I ever met. You've been through so much yet you move forward. And never once did you leave each other's side." Anna smiled "I bet they would be proud of what you've become."

Hao smiled sadly.

"We would never leave each other." He then looked at his brother "I could never abandon my brother."

Yoh smiled back.

"Yeah, I was a terrible brother to you the past few years but… I would never let Nii-chan get hurt." He laughs "You may be the older twin, but I also have to take care of him sometimes."

Hao laughed.

"Yeah right." He said sarcastically.

Anna smiled as she saw Yoh pout cutely.

"You think I can't take care of you, Hao?" Yoh asked, frowning.

"Is not that." Hao answered. "I trust you with my life."

"Everyone would trust their lives to you Yoh. You're the nicest person on the planet." Anna said. "But you know Hao. He has too much pride to let his little brother take care of him."

"I'm not proud!" Hao protested.

"Yes, you are." Anna smirked.

"You are, Nii-chan." Yoh agreed with a smile.

"Is not pride. It's maturity." Hao said, with an air of superiority "Is only that I'm years older than I should be. I'm more mature than the two of you. Is like I'm a thousand years older than you."

"Yeah…" Yoh looked down sadly "I guess that's my fault, huh? I didn't give you a chance to be a kid."

Hao's eyes went wide. He looked at Anna for help, who was staring at Yoh with sad but angry eyes. Why was he talking about that again? Could his head be that thick that what she said all those days ago didn't sink in yet?

"That's not what I mean, Yoh it's just that…" he sighed "Things didn't turn out fair for the two of us."

Anna looked at Hao, who now seemed angry, remembering how that man ruined his and his brother's life. Not to mention what he did to their parents.

"Life isn't fair, Hao." Anna said, also sighing. She looked at the older twin sadly, understanding what he was feeling "Unfortunately."

"That's what dad used to say when we told him about what people called us at school." Hao said, now a sad smile, remembering the time when they came back home, saying about what their teacher did after she couldn't figure out which one was Hao and which one was Yoh. He remembered his mother laughing softly and his dad smiling, explaining that sometimes things happened and they weren't fair. That we would just have to deal with it.

"That's what he said before he killed dad." Yoh said, his eyes distant, hugging his knees.

Silence ruled over them for a brief second, but it seemed like hours. They all needed time to let Yoh's words sink in, to understand what just happened.

Anna looked at Hao who was staring at his brother, mouth half open, and his eyes wide.

And it was then that she knew… Yoh had never told that to anyone before.

**YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally I updated! I'm so sorry to all of you who have been waiting so long for this!! But yeah, finally I finished this chapter! It took me so long! I'm sorry, this chapter was so hard to write, I had absolutely no idea how to connect that conversation Hao and Anna had with this last scene. **

**Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed so far! Believe it or not, last chapter we had 23 reviews!!!! O.O Can you believe it? 23 reviews! I'm so impressed and so thankful! Really, I hope you are all enjoying the fic!**

**To those of you wondering, no these past few chapters have not been fillers. I know there are quite a few amount of chapters that seem like I'm just typing random things, but that's not it. I've been setting things up for chapter 15. I can't just jump from chapter 10, when Yoh sees the killer to chapter 15 without explaining what happens in between. ^^" Plus, Yoh and Anna's relationship needs to progress, this is, after all, and YohXAnna fanfic! ^^ Also, I have been throwing hints and foreshadowing like crazy (maybe I'm exaggerating) in every single chapter! I'm not kidding, every single chapter I write something that reflects what's going to happen in the end and on chapter 15! **

**The fanfic is almost over! Just five more chapter (though I will try to figure out some way to make it 6) and an epilogue and it's over! Yes, sadly, that's all we have left. T_T **

**This chapter was a little shorter than I wanted (9 pages instead of 10), but I don't think I could add anything on without sounding weird or overly descriptive. So I hope you liked short like that. ^^" So far this fanfic has 115 pages (not counting these notes I gave at the end of each chapter, I add them on later. The fanfic document where all the chapters are together has no notes, only story.) and 148 reviews! Thank you so much!**

10


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

"W-what?" Hao asked, when his voice finally came back.

"That's what he said." Yoh continued, hugging himself, still staring straight ahead. His voice was quieter now, his eyes so distant Anna was sure that he had long forgotten her. Part of her was scared, afraid that with Yoh going so into that night, he would lose his emotions again, but the other wants him to go on. If he is talking it means he is not as scared as before, it means he is getting better…

It means he can be happier.

"When he came in, he was holding a knife." Yoh told. "I was the first one who saw him, and I hugged mom's leg, and that's when they saw him, holding the knife, ready to kill us. He didn't see me since I was hiding behind mom, and dad steeped in, trying to stop him. He said he could take anything he wanted, as long as he didn't hurt anyone. He shook his head and said that if he left anyone alive, he would go to jail. Dad said they wouldn't, that it wouldn't be fair to kill innocent people… He told dad that life wasn't fair, and then stabbed him in the stomach… Mom scream and… and…."

It was then that Anna became aware that Yoh was sobbing, that he was crying, his shoulders shaking. He could no longer speak, trying to make himself look smaller, trying to protect himself. Hao immediately put an arm around his brother, and it was then that the cry became more desperate, as he finally had someone to hold him, someone who would comfort him.

Hao looked at Anna and mouthed something. _Bring him some water, I'll try to calm him down. _

He didn't need to say twice, she was already going to the kitchen the next second.

So that was how it happened… He wanted to steal something, and because they were at the house, Mikihisa and Keiko got killed. That's why Yoh knew that if Hao stayed inside of the closet, unnoticed and unseen, he would be safe. The man had seen Yoh, and he wanted to eliminate all witnesses before stealing whatever he wanted. He would have gone after Yoh, but never after Hao, he didn't know the other existed. If Hao hadn't found that cell phone inside the coat's pocket, Yoh would also be…

No. No, don't think about that. Yoh is fine. Yoh was okay, he was there. Sure he was crying, but at least he had a _pulse._ And they were going to keep things that way.

She completely ignored Ryu's protest when she entered the kitchen. That was something Anna never really understood about the chef. So what if she went inside the kitchen while he was cooking? How the hell did that matter? Is not like she was going to his stove and tasting his food or actually distracting him. She was only there to get a stupid glass of water!

But no, he always complained. It was like he completely forgot that she could have him fired just by the fact he was shooing her from her own kitchen. But she wouldn't have that. No, she would get the god damn water and so her future husband could calm down.

And if that meant that Ryu would have to start cooking dinner all over again then so be it!

When she came back, they were both sitting at the floor. Yoh was still on Hao's arms, looking so small compared to Hao, who seem almost like a shell surrounding him. Yoh was calmer, no longer sobbing, which relieved Anna immensely.

"Here." Anna said, kneeling down in front of Yoh and handing him the water "Drink it, it'll make you feel better."

He smiled weakly and grabbed the cup, his hand brushing against Anna's slightly. The two blushed, only to have Hao roll his eyes at them.

"Thanks…" he said, his voice coming low and teary. He slowly drank the water, and Anna could almost see the relief in his face, as the water made his way down the throat that was probably sore from crying and sobbing.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" he said, once he was done, looking at Hao "I'm sorry I… I can't…"

"You shouldn't say anything else for now." Hao smiled, hugging his brother "You already did enough. I'm proud of you, Yoh."

"I'm sorry…"

"Stop saying that." Anna said, getting angry "I'll punch you if you don't."

"Hurt my brother and I'll be the one punching you." Hao answered back, hugging his brother again, as if to protect him from Anna.

"That's mean Hao." Yoh said, looking up to his brother.

"Mean?! She said she was going to punch you!"

"She was kidding." Yoh frowned.

"No, I wasn't." Anna crossed her arms "Did I ever gave you a reason to think I wouldn't punch someone if I wanted."

Silence.

"That's what I thought." She said, smiling and finally standing up. "Come on, let's go inside. There must be something we can do there."

After that they ate dinner, ate dessert and stayed up until around midnight, when Yoh fell asleep while watching TV. Amidamaru then carried him to bed, with Hao following soon after, wanting to be there as soon as Yoh's nightmares started. He didn't gave him the sleeping drug, so it wouldn't be a dreamless night.

Anna stayed awake for a while longer, flipping through channels. She wasn't really paying attention to what she was doing, her head was on the events.

Yoh had finally spoke. Not much, but something about that night. She could hardly believe it! After 7 years, what brought this on? Why now?

Anna sighed. Things were getting complicated. And as if all these wasn`t enough, she would have to see her parents soon.

Oh crap, she had to see her parents. Anna`s relationship with her parents was, to say the least, bad. It was not like the fought the entire time it was just that… There was nothing between them, and that made it bad.

Anna was their daughter and they were her parents. That she knew, they were related. But that was it. Ever since she was young it was Hanagumi, Mosuke, Ryu and Amidamaru who took care of her. She remember having two body guards, Zenki and Goki may have been their names, when she was younger, and they had a few other servants that came and went… But they were the only ones who stayed with her the entire time.

Her parents were never home. She remembered going to the living room, sleeping there, waiting for them. She never saw them. They were like two strangers. No, correction. They were two strangers.

Every time they came home it felt awkward. It was like having two unwelcomed guests coming in to your home and ordering the people you lived with around. And they never spoke with one another. Sure, there was the occasional _good morning_ and _good night_. Or the usual _pass me the rice._ But that was mostly it. At dinner time they ate silently, only hearing the silverware, because her mother hated eating with hashi, touching the plate.

Long ago they pretended to care. They used to pretend they were interested in her school, soon after they moved from Izumo, but that phase only lasted for 2 years. After a while they grew tired of it and just went back to their old ways.

When they lived in Izumo, everything was better. No, not in the sense that they were actually good parents. Anna would laugh at the thought. No, it was because she had Yoh and Hao, because she had the Asakura Family. She would spend most of her time with them. They were like her second family. Scratch that, they were her family. It was like she was one of them, but had to sleep in another house while they made a room for her.

Which is the reason why she never thought the idea of spending the rest of her life with Yoh was weird. She had that kind of kid love, and she was already part of the family… Plus she didn't want any other girl looking at Yoh, she wanted to make it clear that he belonged to her. So why not get engaged already? It would happen eventually.

But when they moved, it was like Anna lost her entire family. And when they stopped calling… Her parents didn't even notice that she was suddenly depressed. She would go as far as to say that they were actually _happy_ that she didn't spend hours on the phone, that they didn't have to pay the bill for the extra phone line they had to make for her, so they could have their business call.

And now they were coming back. Usually it would just be an inconvenience, something that really bothered her, but that she could somehow put up with it. Something like when she had to hear Hao rant about something. But now the situation was different. Very different.

As soon as her parents came back the detectives would have to explain what had happened. They would have to tell them about the murder, about Yoh's problem, and about how the killer was stalking them. And Anna had no idea how they would react. Obviously they wouldn't kick them out. Her parents may be idiots, but they do worry about appearance. Enough that they know that if they did that they would look bad in front of the police. They couldn't damage their reputation. But she was still worried. Would they make things worse for Yoh? As if the mustache guy wasn't enough, would they have to put up with her parents pressuring Yoh? Or would they send dirty looks? How would things be?

And now Yoh had finally spoke something! He was finally opening up, but that also meant they needed to be extra careful. If Yoh was speaking about that night that meant he was finally opening the gate that separated him from the outside world. It meant he was finally having enough courage, that he was finally ready, to take a step outside, even for a second. Even if the only two people who he is open with it is Hao, the fact that he spoke meant that the gate was open, that he could come out, even if he will only stand in front of it.

But it also meant that just like he could come out, bad things could also come in. He was more vulnerable now. He was in more danger. It meant that it was easier for things to hurt him. They would hurt more, now that he didn't have that protection… So they needed to protect him. Not because they wanted him to speak, but because they didn't want something to hurt him so badly that he would lock himself again. Lock himself with so many locks and walls so high that not even Hao would be able to take a peek inside, to talk to him or sometimes even come in, like now.

He would go back to that soulless state again.

And if all that wasn't enough, they would still have to go that stupid party. And Tamao would be there. For more that Anna liked the idea of showing Tamao just how close Yoh and her were, the idea of actually having to put up with her, her parents and the damn parents was aggravating.

It was going to be a very long week.

Just as predicted, it was. Yoh didn't say anything else about the murder after that night, but that didn't stop the cops from questioning Yoh and stopping him every now and then and demanding him to speak.

And God, did that made Hao angry. Not that Anna could blame him, after all that happened after cast time Yoh was pressured to speak, she would not expect Hao to just let them get away with him. But really, Anna thought she had already seen Hao angry, but this past week proved her wrong. Sometimes when Yoh and her were alone in the living room they would hear the older twin yelling. Sometimes it was funny… But other times it was just annoying, especially when she and Yoh were having a really nice talk, that she would almost call it a moment, and Hao's voice would interrupt him and make things awkward. Yoh would look down guilty and Anna would be left with no idea to how to react.

Then when her parents came back, things got worse. After they were explained the situation, they did that fake sympathy thing, her mother hugging Yoh saying how hard things must be for him. Her father did a speech about how they would be happy to help catch these "heartless monster who destroyed the life of these two youths."

If that wasn't enough, they still pretended they were actually worried about her. Her mother hugged her, something they never do, and pretended to be holding her tears back. It was annoying.

Yoh and Hao had laughed when her mother pulled her into the hug. They knew how Anna felt about that, and to the twins, seeing her in such situation was amusing. Why they thought it was amusing, Anna didn't know.

During dinner things were horrible. While before Yoh, Hao and her were always talking, now they stayed in silence. Her parents ate with them, and they tried making small talk with the cops. It seemed like they were having a good time, the five of them, but for the three teens, things were just weird. They felt like those little kids who have to sit down quietly while their parents had a grown up conversation.

And there was Tamao at school. Well, Tamao wasn't much of the problem this time as Pirika was. She was always talking about the parents Anna's parents were going to give, talking about the clothes and the makeup and the hair. Hao didn't seem to be paying much attention, and Yoh spend most of their lunch period either receiving help from Manta or drawing. He didn't hear a thing. But every now and then Pirika would say something about how beautiful Tamao would look, staring directly at Yoh. Sometimes she would even ask Yoh something about what he would do, and then say that he should do it with Tamao, making the pink haired annoyance blush.

So yeah, it was a very long week.

Finally the day of the party arrived, and Anna was counting the minutes until that stupid day was over.

They were all dressed, when the guests started to arrive. As always, her parents did a great job hosting, Ryu prepared an amazing meal and Mosuke kept checking up on everything. The police officers were up at the Power Central, looking at the cameras, seeing if there was anyone suspicious around.

Tamao, Pirika, Horo-Horo, Ren, Chocolove, Lyserg and Manta arrived around 8, all dressed to something Anna would have guessed was a formal dance. Yoh, Hao and her were at the patio, avoiding her parent's guests when Mosuke appeared, showing the rest of them where the three were.

She knew she should have told Mosuke to keep Tamao as far from her Yoh as possible.

"You're house is so big!" Pirika said, as soon as Mosuke left. "I can't believe you and your family live here!"

Anna just shrugged. What were the chances she could survive this event without committing a murder?

"Yeah, well, Anna's parents always were kind of spacious." Hao said thoughtfully.

"In Izumo you also had a pretty big house, right, Anna-san?" Tamao asked, her voice low andher face bright red.

"Yes." Anna said, not even looking at the girl.

Silence.

"But it really didn't matter, right?" Yoh asked, surprising everyone. Yoh never spoke unless he was spoken to. "You spent most of your time at our home."

"Why is that, Anna-san?" Lyserg asked curiously.

"Because she was in love with my little brother." Hao answered as-a-matter-of-fact.

Everyone looked at Anna and Yoh. Tamao bit her bottom lip and Yoh's face was bright red, definitely regretting having spoken.

She was going to kill him.

"I mean, they were even engaged." Hao continued, ignoring the reaction of the two "Do you remember that, Tamao?"

"Y-Yes…" She looked down "Anna-san didn't like anyone to talk Yoh-kun…"

Anna was sure she heard Horo-Horo whispering to Ren something on the grounds of "Isn't she like that now?"

"Yeah, well, Anna didn't want to lose her fiancée, right?" Hao smiled "The two of them still have their engagement rings."

"B-But…" Pirika looked at Tamao, who seemed to be shrinking in size "They are not engaged, right? I mean, obviously they are not engaged, but they are not together. They are just friends now and…"

"Who knows?" Horo-Horo said "The way these three are always together, we can't be sure of anything."

If possible, Yoh's face was even more red than before.

"They have never done anything." Pirika protested, now angry "They are old friends, that's it."

"Tamao also knew them from before, and they are not nearly as close as Anna and them." Ren pointed out coldly.

For a brief second Anna felt sympathetic for Tamao. Not because the fact that everyone was saying that it was obvious that Yoh and her belonged together, that she actually liked. But right now Anna, Yoh and her were all in the same situations.

These idiots were all talking about them as if they weren't there.

"That's because Tamao is shy." Pirika defended. "I'm sure Yoh likes Tamao just as much as he likes Anna."

"I'm not sure…" Hao said, with a innocent smile "Did Yoh ever came close to kissing Tamao-chan?"

"Onii-chan!" Yoh yelled, his face now bright red. Anna betted that right now he was wishing he was a single child.

"No, but Yoh never tried that with Anna either." Pirika looked at Tamao one last time, seeing that the girl had tears forming in her eyes.

"I don't know." Hao shrugged. "Can't tell for sure, but on one of the first nights after we moved in I caught the two with their faces very close to each other."

"That doesn't mean anyth… Wait, you guys live here?!" Pirika was now close to yelling. Everyone looked at the three of them shocked for the second time that evening.

"Well, yes." Hao answered, blinking "We had a few problems in our house, and Anna offered us to stay here until that issue was fixed. Considering she is our best friend and the space she has here, we didn't think twice before accepting."

"What happened at your house?" Manta asked worried.

"Something really personal that they doesn't concern any of you." Anna answered, glancing at Yoh.

"Then how come you know?" Horo-Horo asked.

"Because it involves me too. Now shut up before I punch you."

"How long will you be staying here?" Lyserg asked.

"Who knows? Maybe Just a few more weeks, maybe a month... Maybe a few years." Hao answered.

And soon after Tamao excused herself, leaving the rest of them in the balcony, looking for the bathroom. Pirika followed soon after, and a few minutes later Mosuke showed up telling them that dinner was ready.

The rest of them left, leaving the three of them alone once more.

"That wasn't very nice, Hao." Yoh frowned "Tamao-chan cried."

"Who cares?" Anna asked "He embarrassed us!"

"Yeah but…"

"She'll be fine." Hao shrugged "Besides, she was starting to get on my nerves always hitting on my innocent little brother."

"It doesn't make it ok to make her cry just because of that." Yoh continued frowning.

"You are too nice Yoh." Anna said. "I actually enjoyed it that last part."

"But that's because you are evil, Anna." Yoh smiled as he said that, making Hao laugh.

They continued to talk, just the three of them in the balcony, when Hao stood up saying he was getting something for the three of them to eat…

Leaving the Yoh and Anna alone.

There was an uncomfortable silence at first, none of them knowing what to say. Anna kept looking at him every now and then, noticing how the moonlight made his face look so perfect, and how even though he had those bags under his eyes and looks quite ill, he still looked like that 10 year old kid she knew long ago.

"So Nii-chan was really watching us that day, huh?" Yoh broke the silence, a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, your idiot brother probably interrupted us on purpose." Anna said, frowning, which made Yoh left.

"It is just like him to do that, isn't it?"

"Yeah, he will follow us to our honeymoon."

"He will." Yoh nodded in agreement.

Again, there was a silence.

"A lot of things happened here in so little time." Yoh said, more to himself than to Anna.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... First you told me I should stop worrying about putting you and Hao in danger. Then there was…" he blushed "_that._ And a few days ago I…"

"You finally spoke." Anna smiled gently "Yeah, we were here when that happened."

"It seems like forever, huh?"

"Well, mostly because my parents are here and they make time go slower." Anna said "But I'm glad… I'm glad you finally said something, even if it wasn't much."

"I…" Yoh looked down, obviously uncomfortable, and not ready to talk about it.

"It's ok, you know." Anna said, not looking at him "Neither Hao or I care about whether or not you identify the stalker who killed your parents. We are happy that that you spoke because it means you are happier."

Yoh looked her, surprised.

"You spoke, so it means that you are letting Hao and I get closer to your heart. You trust Hao with your entire life, but obviously you are not ready to let him know every single thing about you. Same with me. The fact that you told us something like that makes us happy because… Because it means we can be closer to you."

Yoh smiled gently.

"And you can take your time. You don't need to force yourself. Like Hao said, you can stay in my house for as long as you need. I don't mind."

Yoh laughed.

"What?"

"You're being Nice." He said, still laughing "That's not something you see everyday."

"Well, I have my moments." Anna said coldly "But if you tell anyone about it, I'll kill you."

"Somehow I don't doubt that." Yoh continued to laugh, making Anna smile slightly.

"I'm serious."

"I know." He continued to laugh "My Anna-chan is an evil girl."

She tried to hide the blush that was starting to appear on her cheeks.

He called her _his_ Anna-chan. Why couldn't she have a recorder to tape that and hear it again and again?

"I'm not evil." Anna said. "I'm just not nice."

"Isn't that the same thing?" He asked.

"Just because you said that, when you brother comes back I'll throw away all your food. You are going to bad with no dinner or dessert."

"See?! You are mean!" Yoh said, half crying now.

Anna turned her head to the side, ignoring the protests that Yoh was giving her now.

Little did they both know that someone behind them was watching everything with great attention.

**I AM SO SORYY! I really am! It was a very busy month for me, and I didn't have much time to write during the past two weeks. I'm so sorry! But here it is! Chapter 14! I hope everyone enjoyed it! This chapter was a little over 9 pages, and it was important for various reasons. The main one being that it is the last chapter before *the ambulance passes it by again* happens. Also, to all the Tamao haters, this is **_**probably**_** the last time you will see her. I say probably because I have no plans to write about her in any future chapters, but I'm not sure, maybe I'll mention her or make her do an unexpected appearance. **

**This fanfic now has exactly 124 pages, 14 chapters and 164 reviews. Who knows, maybe we will beat 200 before the fanfic ends! =DDD**

**Can you believe that 10 chapters ago you ad just found out Yoh and Hao's parents were dead and I still wrote the words "Next Question"** **?**

11


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Anna looked back again. It was the third time in less than an hour that she felt like she was being watched. She felt that all day long. At first she thought it was only her imagination. Or maybe it could be her sense of paranoia; considering both Pirika and Tamao were ignoring her all week, and Anna was sure soon they would come up with a plan to kill her so Yoh could fall for Tamao. But now she was certain: There was someone watching them.

It was creepy, to say the least. Not that Anna couldn't handle whoever was watching them. She was sure that if whoever it was just showed his or her face she could put them back to their place. They would probably go back home with bleeding nose and a few missing teeth. Is just that… She absolutely hated feeling like she was being watched! It was annoying, distracting, disturbing and an act of pure cowardliness.

Like the week hadn't been stressful enough. Again Anna thought for sure maybe things between her and Yoh would be a bit better after the party, but no. She was wrong. Yoh acted like nothing ever happened. Like his stupid brother hadn't embarrassed them. Like the long haired idiot whose grave Anna already ordered hadn't told everyone about their feelings for each other.

Anna hated Hao so much.

Well, at least Tamao stopped bothering them. Yoh was a little worried that they hurt Tamao and Pirika's feelings, and even apologized the next time they saw them. That annoyed both Anna and Hao, to say the least. Really, the whole point of inviting them to that party was so that they would see that they had no chance with Yoh. And now he was ruining because he had to be Yoh and he had to be polite.

But even though they forgave Hao, or so Yoh believed, being naïve like he is, they still ignored the trio for the entire week. Which was perfectly fine with Anna. She liked having Yoh all to herself. She liked having her two bestfriends with her without having to worry about what new trick Tamao would come up with. It appeared like she really did give up after all.

At least that was what Anna thought until today, when she started feeling like they were being watched.

Tamao and Pirika… Playing dirty like always.

"Is something wrong?" Yoh asked, looking at her with that cute confused look.

They were, right now, at a coffee shop. The car broke a few hours ago and now it was being repaired. A problem with a motor, the mechanic had said, it would take a few hours. So while they were waiting, Amidamaru took them to a place to eat. Not before noticing Ryu that they were going to eat out.

"Nothing." She answered, shrugging. No need to tell him that Tamao and Pirika were probably stalking them. One crazy stalker was enough, why worry him with two more?

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." She nodded, and then looked at Hao, who was surprisingly quiet today. It was shocking. One of the things you would see in one of those _Believe it or not_ TV shows. Hao was quiet. Maybe God finally decided to stop being sadistic and give Anna a break, making the narcissistic jerk mute for a few hours.

But… He didn't seem alright. Sure, he was quiet, but not relaxed. He was even more paranoid than usual. Today during class Yoh needed to go to the bathroom. Nothing unusual. Yoh was, after all, a human being. And every now and then he needed to use the bathroom. Nothing much.

Not to Hao, though. He made a scene in the classroom. When Yoh got permission and started to walk to leave class, Hao followed him. Silva-sensei tried to stop him, but Hao wouldn't listen. He held Yoh's hand and demanded to go with him. It was an entertaining scene, actually. Anna found herself holding back a smirk, and Hao and Silva-sensei argued with each other, Hao being clearly the winner. Not because his arguments were strong, well, neither was Silva-sensei's, all he said was that it was against the school's rule to let more than one person go to bathroom at the same time. But Hao knew exactly what to say to make Silva-sensei embarrassed and without words for a few seconds. In which he tried to take advantage of and leave, but he was, of course stopped. This went on for about ten minutes, and while most of the class enjoyed the show, laughing, Anna could only feel sorry for Yoh, who still needed to go use the bathroom.

Oh, but that wasn't all. Silva-sensei sent him to the principle's office, and again, Hao refused to go unless Yoh went with him. Poor Yoh was dragged to see the principle, who goes by the name of Great Spirit, and the vice-principle, Chief Goldva.

And now he was looking everywhere, with those untrusting eyes of his. He kept holding on to Yoh, not letting him out of his sight. Right now Hao was the perfect combination of Paranoia and Overprotection.

"Why don't you ask your brother?" She looked at Hao once more, who didn't even notice they were talking about him. "He doesn't seem alright."

"But he never is." Yoh smiled sadly, looking at his brother. Again, the older twin didn't even notice, which caused Yoh to sigh sadly "I already asked, but he won't tell me."

"Maybe he finally went insane." Anna said.

Yoh didn't answer.

The waitress finally came, and asked what they wanted. Anna asked for the tea, and Hao asked for coffee. Yoh was ready to order the same thing but Hao stopped him, arguing that it was too bitter for Yoh. He then ordered for his twin a hot chocolate.

Anna couldn't help but smile at that. It was true, Yoh always liked more sweets than Hao. She remembered how on their birthday Yoh would let Hao light all the candles and then blow them, and Hao would let Yoh have the larger piece of cake. The two were always looking out for each other.

And that never changed. Yoh protected Hao years ago, saving his life by locking him inside a closet. Hao took care of Yoh while he couldn't take care himself. It was something that probably would never change, they would always take care of each other, always valuing the other's live more than they valued their own.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Hao asked, annoyed. Well, it seemed God hasn't stopped being sadistic after all.

"Only a few more hours, Hao." Yoh answered, smiling. "Don't worry, the car will be fine."

"It's not the car I'm worried about." He sighed and looked around once more before reaching for Yoh's hand.

"There's nothing we can do." Anna shrugged. "Here we're save. Let's just wait."

"I don't like waiting."

"Well, the world can't answer to you." Anna rolled her eyes.

"It would certainly run better if it did."

"Oh yes. I can even see how you would run it. Everyone would have to do as you please or else they would be sentenced to death. You would be an evil dictator, killing people probably by burning them."

"That's not true." When Anna raised an eyebrow, he smirked "Everyone would have to do as me and Yoh pleased. I can't neglect my little brother's needs."

She rolled her eyes.

The waitress brought them their order. As Anna drank her tea slowly she couldn't help but look around again. God, what was with this person? Half of her wanted to stand up and tell Tamao and Pirika to show their faces already and call 911 because she _was_ going to beat them up for stalking them. And the other part of her wanted to cling to Yoh and act all mushy and disgusting, just to show Tamao that no matter what she does, Yoh belongs to _her_.

If even her parents noticed that the two belonged together, than so should Tamao, right?

Oh God, she was never so grateful for the fact that her parents were already in another trip. As if Hao and the staff weren't enough to embarrass her and Yoh, now her parents had to ask… _that._

Just remembering the scene made Anna's cheek turn red. It was the day after the party, they were eating dinner in silence. All you could hear were the sound of the fork and knives touching the plate, since her parents hated using hashi. It was embarrassing how they had forgotten how to use hashi. How could they call themselves Japanese?

That was, until her father set the silverware down, showing that he wished to speak. Anna just rolled her eyes, thinking it was just another announcement of where they were going next.

But then he turned to Yoh. And everything went downhill from there.

He started off by giving a little speech on how he thought long and hard on a way to start this conversation without being awkward, but couldn't find any, so decided to be direct.

He asked Yoh what his intentions were with Anna.

There was silence for 2 seconds, before Hao started laughing. Yoh's face was so red and he was panicking, looking from side to side not knowing what to do.

Anna was about to commit murder.

Then her parents started off talking about how Anna was suppose to marry into a respectable family, and while the Asakura certainly were that kind of family, they had to make sure the boy was willing to take the Kyouyama name and work for their company.

That's when Hao stopped laughing and stood up for his brother. He argued that Yoh wouldn't work for the company unless he wanted to, and that Yoh didn't want that. Hao looked at his brother before going on explaining their plans to open an inn and how Yoh would be an artist as well.

And of course, her parents had to refuse, saying that a Kyouyama heir would not be an inn keeper, and if that was what Yoh wanted for his life, then he wasn't welcome to marry the Kyouyama Heir.

The literally referred to her as the Kyouyama Heir. Not Anna and not daughter. The Kyouyama Heir.

Their love touched her.

Hao crossed his arms saying that it was up to them to decide who they married. And if Yoh wanted to marry Anna Hao would make damn sure that he would marry Anna. He told them that his goal was to make Yoh happy, and if marrying Anna was what made Yoh happy, then they will be married. No matter what anyone else thinks about it. Not even Anna.

Luckily Anna was more than willing to become Yoh's wife. Many times in the past she pictured herself and Yoh, with a kid, being the owners of a traditional Japanese Inn, with Osen and a beautiful Japanese garden. Actually, she planned on turning Yoh and Hao's house in Tokyo into an Inn. She could easily see herself having a life like that, married, with her own job, her own Inn, her child, Yoh forever by her side… Hao not leaving them alone.

Well, the latter one wasn't in her wish list, but if she wanted Yoh and her Inn, then she would have to take the idiot.

Oh, were her parents mad when Hao said that. The three of them started arguing, and when Anna looked at Yoh, he had shrunk in size, hiding trying to slide off the chair, his face as red as Anna's scarf.

Thank God they were gone. Yoh was quiet for the rest of the day, blushing every time he saw Anna. At least now they could go back to normal… Or their version of normal.

Anna sighed and looked at Yoh. He was, slowly, getting better. Sure, Hao still had to make sure he was eating right, and he still drugged Yoh so he could sleep. He still didn't open up to anyone, and was still worried about her and Hao's safety. But somehow he seemed… Happier. You could still see the crushing guilt in his eyes, and the sadness and loneliness still existed around him, but his smiles seemed more real, more honest. It seemed that he was slightly happier, like he was stronger.

And the fact that he was able to speak, even if a little, about what happened that night was already great progress. It wasn't much, and nothing that really could help with identifying who the men was, but it was still showed that Yoh would soon be able to tell them all.

Life isn't fair. He told that to Mikihisa before killing him. Before stabbing him to death in front of his wife and one of his children. What kind of cold blooded person did such a thing? Anna could not imagine how it must have been to Yoh, only 10 at the time, hearing a person say such a thing so cruelly right before stabbing his father to death? What could have done to affect Yoh's view on the world?

He got that right. Life wasn't fair. If it was, someone so kind and gentle like Yoh would have a peaceful life.

She sighed and looked down. How would things be different if only she hadn't moved? Would the murder had happened? And if so, would she have been of any use to Yoh and Hao? Maybe she would even be there the night of the murder. Stuck in the same closet Hao was.

No… No use thinking about that. She needed to think about the here and now.

And figure out where the hell Tamao and Pirika were hiding so she could beat the crap out of them.

"Anna." Hao called, looking at her, taking Anna out of her thoughts. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

That was unexpected. They were silent for some time, and having Hao saying that all of the sudden was surprising. Especially since he was talking to her.

And he didn't even waited for her answer before standing up and walking away, towards the restrooms. It took her a few seconds to realize that she should follow him.

So she did, making a mental note that if he would die if she got anywhere near the men's bathroom.

He was worried. She could tell that by the way he crossed his arms and looking down. He was frustrated as well, she noticed, since he also kept running his fingers through his hair.

"Well?" Hao asked, looking at her when she said nothing. "Don't tell me you don't feel it as well?"

Ah… So that's why he was so worried.

"You mean the feeling that someone is watching us? Yes." She answered, with an annoyed expression. "It's getting on my nerves."

"I'm worried about Yoh." Hao said, without looking up.

"About Yoh? Wait you don't think that…"

"No." Hao shook his head "If it was him Yoh would have seen him, and we would be trying to get him back to normal. But Yoh doesn't seem different, like he is nearby."

Anna nodded. Yeah, it made sense. If it was the killer Yoh would have noticed long ago, even if he hadn't noticed they were being followed, he would have seen the killer and reacted immediately. Just like in the park.

So why was he worried?

"Then what's the problem?"

"Even though it's not him watching us, it still worries me that someone is keeping an eye on Yoh. If it is that easy to keep track of us, how easy would it be for the killer to do it? He did that without anyone noticing for years. He was watching me and Yoh, just to make sure Yoh would never tell anything that would incriminate him. How long will it take before he is watching our moves as well?"

"You think he will be?"

"Soon." Hao nodded, worried "He is already, at a distance. He was there when we were at the park. What are the chances that it was pure coincidence?"

It was easy to see his point.

"I don't think he is watching us right now, but I'm sure he already knows where we go to school, and maybe your house. But I'm not sure."

"Then why are you telling me?"

"Because I don't want you to tell Yoh that."

"What?"

"I. Don't. Want. You. To…"

"Speak like a human being, Hao." Anna shook her head "Why not? If it's not him…"

"It may still hurt his progress." Hao looked down "Yoh will open up to me soon. I can feel it. Soon I won't need his drawings to know what he is feeling anymore. Soon we'll be just like we were when kids, before _that_ night." Hao then looked at her "If he knows about this, that it is easy for him to watch over us, he'll freak out. He'll probably close himself again, maybe stop speaking! You don't want that, do you?"

"Of course not." Anna frowned. Of course she wouldn't want that. Yoh's laugh may be annoying sometimes, but Anna still preferred him talking then mute. If he stopped talking, how long would it take before he went into that zombie state of mind?

She definitely didn't want that.

"Fine." She sighed. "I won't tell him about it… For now, at least. Eventually he'll have to know."

"Only when we are really in danger. For now, let's protect him for as long as we can."

"We are always in danger Hao." Anna sighed, before turning around going back to their table with Hao, founding Yoh holding Hao's mug. "What are you doing?"

He looked up surprised for a second, before smiling.

"I wanted to know how what Hao order tasted like." He laughed "I was going to take a sip now but…"

"But you won't." Hao answered, taking the mug out of his twin's hand "It's too strong and bitter for you. Stay with your hot chocolate."

After a few minutes, Amidamaru appeared, saying the car was ready. They all stood up, paying the bill and walking out. Hao, like always, kept holding Yoh's hand and looking around, probably searching for the person who was watching them and, to Anna, it was obviously Tamao and Pirika.

The mechanic owner was a church leader, slash car mechanic, slash car sales-man and slash lawyer. A blond, an Italian man who seriously annoyed Anna. He had an adopted daughter, Jeanne, who kept smiling and telling Hao, Yoh and Anna about the wonderful things her church did, trying to get them into joining it. That girl plus Marco, the mechanic, arguing with Amidamaru about the price made Anna feel like punching all of them.

And Amidamaru noticed that. So he asked, quite discreetly to Anna's surprise, for the three of them to go to the garage of the mechanic, where the car was, and wait there.

Next thing Anna knew she was waking up inside a closet.

She didn't remember that. She didn't remember how she got inside a closet. God, she didn't even know where she was or how long she was asleep. Or why she was asleep in a closet for that matter.

Her head hurt a little, but probably because of the fact that when she woke up her head was rested in an awkward way by the wall. And she felt extremely sleepy. Like she hadn't slept for a month. It was hard to keep her eyes open. Every time she blinked it took her around three seconds to open her eyes again.

Part of her wanted to find out what was going on, and the other wanted to ignore everything and just go back to sleep. She was about to listen to the latter part until she noticed she was not alone in the closet.

No, she saw some brown hair as well. A long brown hair and the sleepy face of an idiot.

That was enough to wake her up.

What the hell was she Hao in a closet?

Standing up quickly, Anna ended up stumbling in some things, but that didn't stop her. She thought of different ways of waking him up. Kicking and making sure that he would never be able to reproduce looked like a good idea. It would also be fast.

So she did it. She kicked him. And that was enough to make Hao wake up, with a cry of pain.

"What did you do that for?!" Hao asked, waking up. He looked extremely sleepy as well. Weird… Hao never looked tired. It was part of made Hao, Hao.

"Look around and you'll know." She said, crossing her arms.

He looked around and his eyes went wide with horror. His expression was so much like Yoh's in the movie. He looked horrified.

Clearly for a reason. Anna could understand that. The last time he probably entered a closet was the night of his parents murder. Not a great memory. The same way Yoh couldn't watch murder scenes, Hao probably couldn't stay in small spaces.

So even the great Hao Asakura had some problems.

Sighing, Anna turned to the door and grabbed the handle, turning it and…

It was locked.

That wasn't good.

She tried again. And again. And again.

Nothing. All she could hear was the sound of the handle trying to break the lock. It wasn't working. They were locked inside that closet.

Not good. Not good at all.

That's when panic stroke her. She continue trying to open the door and throwing her weight against it, but nothing happen. She tried banging at it, screaming, but nothing happened.

There was something really wrong with that situation.

And soon Hao realized that as well. He started breathing harder, and with difficulty stood up and joined her and threw his weight against the door. They continued and continued and continued, but nothing happened.

Anna started to panic. How did this happen? How could this have happened? _What_ was happening? She didn't know. And she didn't lie that one bit.

They continued throwing themselves at the door until it finally open.

And what they saw shocked them both. In the mechanic's garage, close to the car, Yoh was lying down on the floor.

In a pool of his own blood.

10


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Hao hadn't spoken a word since they got to the hospital. As soon as they found Yoh bleeding on the floor they ran towards him and tried to do their best to stop the bleeding. Amidamaru and Marco appeared a few minutes after and found the two trying to save Yoh's life. Amidamaru went to help while Marco called an ambulance.

Everything happened really fast from that point. Anna couldn't really remember the details, mostly because she was still feeling a little groggy. Hao had desperately tried to come help his brother. He cried and yelled. He was hysterical. Anna had never seen Hao lose so much control before.

And when the ambulance came to take Yoh… Hao tried to get in with him but the police didn't let him. They needed to ask questions, to try to find out what happened, but Hao wouldn't listen. He ran towards the ambulance and tried to get in, tried to find out what was wrong with Yoh, but they had to hold him back. When they closed the doors of the car and drove away Hao feel to the ground. He didn't say anything after that. Anna had to answer all the questions for the two of them, trying to keep her cool.

It was really hard to do that. While answering the stupid questions, the image of Yoh's bloody body kept appearing in her mind. How did it happen? How did she end up in a closet with Hao? How did the murder tried to kill Yoh without Marco and Amidamaru noticing? And what about Yoh? Was he going to be ok? Was he… Was he _dead?!_

Her heart ached with the thought. Her voice almost broke, while answering the detectives, when that possibility came to her head. No! He couldn't die… Could he?

Luckily, by the time they got to the hospital she was already able to hold back her tears. While in the inside she was desperate, she would not allow herself to cry. At least not now. She needed to clear her head and think… Think…

How did it happen? Obviously the person who was following them was the killer but… But how did he do it without Yoh noticing?

How ironic… When Hao first told her about what happened in their past she got paranoid. She kept looking around, not able to trust anyone, afraid the killer may be among them… And that's exactly what happened. She should have took more notice. Maybe is she hadn't been in the closet…

How the hell did that happen?! How did she get in that closet?! That still made no sense!

"It was… It was just like before…" a weak voice said by her side.

She turned and looked at Hao, who was sitting by her side at the waiting room. Anna was so into her thoughts that she forgot where she was. They had arrived a few hours before. By the clock, they were waiting for about three hours. It was already dark outside and Amidamaru had already told everyone in the house what had happened. They all came running, and the detectives were now talking to them and the three cops that lived with them, getting their facts straight.

"What was like before?" Anna asked, looking at the older twin, who seemed to have aged centuries in the past three hours.

"What happened." He didn't look up as he spoke "Coming out of a locked closet and seeing… Seeing my little brother… Like _that_." He had to take a deep breath before continuing "And then the paramedics taking him away from me… Not knowing if he was going to live or… Not being able to help him…" he let a sob out "Seeing Yoh bleeding to death… Seeing him like that… It was almost the same look he had then… It… It was the same…"

Her eyes got softer. She hadn't even thought about that. About how Hao must have felt. Surely it must have been horrible for him seeing his brother again like that. The ultimate Déjà vu.

"He is going to be all right." Anna said, sighing "Yoh is strong. He wouldn't dare die on us like that."

Hao didn't answer.

A couple of minutes later the detective that had come to Yoh's rescue along with the paramedics walked up to them.

"My name is Liam Diethel." He said, surprising both Hao and Anna. Diethel… He was related to Lyserg. "I believe you are friends with my son, aren't you not?"

"You could say that." Anna said, since Hao was in no shape to answer any questions "Do you know what happened yet?"

"We checked the tapes at the garage." He answered, and then looked at Hao, who had finally looked up. Detective Diethel walked up to him slowly and kneeled down, so he would be the same height as the sitting long haired teen. "We can't see much of his face, but we'll catch him. I'll be with the three of you the entire time until we get him. And now that we have the tape it is possible that he won't need to say anything."

"Really?" Hao looked up hopefully.

"We will have to question him about today." Liam said "But if we can go with the tape only and prove that the reason why he did that to your brother was to keep him quiet about your parents' murder, he will probably don't need to testify." he smiled "I know that is a worry of yours after what happened to him last time the police put pressure on him."

Hao smiled slightly.

"What exactly happened?" Anna asked, looking at the detective "How did the killer get in the garage? And how did Hao and I end up in the closet."

"Well…" the detective stood up "That was I wanted to ask you two." He then turned to a blonde nurse and asked her something. The nurse nodded and walked away, when she came back, she had a small container in her hands and handed to Liam "We found this in Yoh's backpack." He handled the container to them "Do you know what it means?"

Hao and Anna both froze. They knew what it meant. They knew what it was.

"That…" Hao started "That is what I give to Yoh when he can't sleep." He looked at it "I put in his drink before sleep so he can have a dreamless sleep."

"He has nightmares." Anna explained "About the night his parents died."

"Well, you said you two woke up inside a closet, right?" they both nodded "My guess is that Yoh used this to make you two fall sleep."

"Why would he do that?" Hao asked.

"Why do you think?"

"Because…" Hao's eyes widen in realization "He knew?!"

"Probably." Liam said, nodding "He knew you were being followed and gave this to the two of you sometime today, while you weren't looking. You fell asleep and Yoh hid you from the killer."

"Wait, _Yoh_ put us inside the closet?!" Anna asked, now very surprised.

"Exactly." He answered "He knew the man was following you. But the only one whose life was in danger was his."

"Because only he knows what he looks like." Hao completed. "So…"

"He drugged the two of you. When you fell asleep he hid you, knowing the man would come. Sure enough, he was right. He was opening the door of the closet when the man entered the garage by a back door. We could not hear what they said, but it seems Yoh was able to persuade him to let you two live."

"He hid us in case we woke up in the middle of the murder." Anna said, amazed. So… Yoh had saved their lives. Yoh was ready to sacrifice his life to save them…

The idiot.

"Did Yoh struggle?" Hao asked, looking surprised "Did he… Did he even try to save himself?!"

"Yes." The detective said "By the looks of the tape after Yoh closed the door of the closet the man tried to stab Yoh on the back. Yoh evaded and tried to run and call the police, but couldn't. Then he went to hide under the car but…"

"But…?" Hao asked, looking at him, his eyes full of rage "But what?!"

"The man reached under the car and pulled Yoh by his hair." He answered "He hit Yoh's head against a wall, leaving him unconscious. Then he started stabbing him… It didn't look like he had the job done, but then I guess he heard you two waking up, and left Yoh to die there. A couple of minutes after he left, you found him." Liam smiled "If you hadn't woken up he would have finished the job… Thank God Yoh didn't put enough medicine, or else he would be dead by the time anyone found him."

"I still don't know when he had the chance to give us the drug." Hao said "I never leave his side. I would have noticed."

"Are you sure you never left his side?" The detective asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, we never left…"

"We did." Anna interrupted "At the coffee shop. We left for a second, and when we came back he was doing something with your drink, remember?" Anna looked at him.

Hao's eyes widen in realization. Yes, they left him for a second… And that was enough for the short haired twin to poison them both.

"Damn it!" he said, letting his head fall into his hands "Damn it!" he let a weak smile show "Again my idiot brother puts others first…" he shook his head as a sob escaped his lips "I can't believe it… He could have told us and then we wouldn't be in this situation… We could have called the three idiots who live with us and then everything would be fine…"

Anna looked down. She was going to kill Yoh once they were allowed to see him. She was going to kill him for putting his life in so much danger. What was he thinking? Sacrificing himself? How was that going to help anyone? Sure, maybe Anna and Hao's lives would be sparred, but hadn't he thought how they would feel knowing Yoh sacrificed his life for them? Did he think they would be _happy_? Happy to lose their beloved Yoh? No! If anything they would live with the guilty of knowing they could maybe have done something to save him yet couldn't.

Oh God, you really do enjoy seeing people suffer, right? What if Yoh does end up dying? No, she couldn't think of that… But it had been three hours since Yoh had been taken away and yet they heard nothing! Why was it taking so long?! Did he lose too much blood? Was the wound too fatal? Was Yoh already dead when they found him? Was he in some sort of coma and the doctors were trying to figure out how to tell them?

"What will happen now?" Hao asked "If Yoh survives and he finds out that there is a way to incriminate him without using my little brother… Will he still try to kill him?"

"Most likely, yes. We won't release the fact that we have a video to the media for fear that he may try to run away or do something drastic… But I assume that while your brother, the only one who knows for sure what he looks like, is still alive, he won't rest until he is dead and all evidence against him has disappeared."

"But why now?" Anna asked "Yoh started talking some time ago and…"

"He threaten us, remember? The reason why we came to Tokyo was…"

"I know that." Anna interrupted. "What I mean is, even though Yoh spoke he never attacked before. He followed us just to make sure Yoh would never talk about it. As long as Yoh didn't say anything about that night everything would be fine…"

"So why now?" Liam completed, looking at Hao "Did something happen to Yoh to make the killer believe he may be in danger? Did Yoh say anything related to that night…?"

Hao shook his head.

"Yoh doesn't speak of it." Hao said "We knew that as long as Yoh didn't spoke of the night he would be safe. I don't…" he paused.

"What?" Anna asked.

"That night… Some time ago…" Hao looked down "Yoh said something about the night our parents were killed. He told us that the man broke in and said something about life being unfair right before stabbing our father."

"Did he say anything else?" Detective Diethel asked.

"No… But… That was still the first time Yoh ever spoke about something that happened that night." Hao shook his head "We thought that it meant he would soon speak more about it and maybe tell us who did it; And then we could put an end to all of this."

"Then he must have thought the same thing. The man who tried to kill your brother must have found out Yoh was beginning to speak about what happened all those years ago, and started to fear that he would finally go to jail for what he did all those years ago."

"So that's why he tried to kill Yoh now." Anna said. "Yoh was finally going to open his mouth about what happened so he decided he couldn't wait anymore and…" she stopped, not being able to continue "If Yoh died now, he would have nothing to worry about anymore."

"But that still doesn't explain _how_ he knew Yoh had told us that!" Hao said, frustrated. They had most of this puzzle complete, but every time they found an answer, they found a new question. "We only told the cops and your house has all those security tapes! If he had done anything we would have known!"

"Maybe Yoh knows." Liam said. "He probably knows all that we found out so far, even how the killer knew he had talked about something that happened at the night of the murder. That is probably why he was so prepared, with the sleeping drug and the plan of hiding you two in a closet so you would be safe… No doubt Yoh already knew that soon he would die soon, that the man was waiting for the perfect opportunity… Your brother probably walked around every day carrying those sleeping drugs, waiting for the day he knew his life would be in danger. And that day was today. With the car broken it was the perfect opportunity. Yoh must have noticed you were being followed. That was enough for him to know that today would be the day."

"So Yoh knew that the killer had found out about what he told us. And he knew that it probably meant he was going to try to kill Yoh, or one of us, soon. Not wanting to put our lives in danger he walked around prepared to drug us in case he noticed an opportunity for the killer to strike. And today he must have noticed we were being followed, and he must have seen him. So he drugged us in the coffee shop just in case he tried to kill today." Anna repeated, trying to put all the pieces together in her head.

"And we all know what happens after that." Hao said bitterly "It is too much of a coincidence that the car broke today, giving him the perfect opportunity to him…"

"I already talked to the mechanic about what happened with the car." Said the detective "While there is a chance that the problem wasn't a simple car failure, that someone did it on purpose. That is why you were being followed only today, and not any of the days before that. He knew the car would break sometime today. He was the one who did it, after all. He followed you so he could be sure where you were and when could he kill."

Hao looked down.

"Do you think Yoh knew this already?"

"Not at first." Liam said "Most likely he figured once the car broke and you guys were waiting." A small smile appeared on the detectives lips "The kid worries more about the two of you then about himself." He sighed, before turning around "I will let you guys in peace for the rest of day. But tell Yoh that I'll be coming tomorrow and asking him how he knew all of this.

And with that the detective left, without saying another word, leaving Hao and Anna alone with their thoughts.

Anna looked to Hao slightly, wondering how the boy must have been feeling. It must be painful, finding out that this entire time your brother was just waiting for his death. How was Hao feeling right now, knowing that this entire time Yoh was the one taking care of him, and not the opposite, like he originally thought? Their entire lives Yoh and Hao took pride on the fact that they could always know what his twin was doing and feeling. They always had those private thought conversations and knowing what the other wanted without having to ask. What was Hao feeling now, knowing that for God knows how long, Yoh was keeping that a secret from him? That Yoh was able to pretend for so long and Hao didn't even took notice? Was he blaming himself? Was he scared the bound he and Yoh shared long ago was not as strong as it was before? Was he…

Was he scared that Yoh was closing himself again?

Anna was. Anna was very scarred. If Yoh knew all that and was able to hid it, from Hao even, it meant that he was distancing himself from them. If they couldn't notice a change, it meant they weren't as close, he wasn't as open, as they thought. And now, after all this. If he survived, what would happen? Would Yoh be the same? Would he distance himself even more?

Would he go back to that zombie state that Anna feared so much?

She sighed. Who would have thought that the innocent kid she forced to propose to her all those years ago would turn out this messed up? Not that she cared, really. She loved him, no matter how messed up his life was.

It just… It was just so hard watch him suffer and not being able to do anything. It was horrible knowing that the person you loved was distancing themselves from you. She wanted to hug him. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to slap him and call him an idiot for ever putting his life in danger.

She wanted him to be happy.

Yet that seemed like an impossible dream. The dream of the two of them, together, living happily, seemed more impossible than ever to achieve. How could they make Yoh trust them? How could they make him see that it would be all right to share some of his burden with them? How could they do any of that if Yoh wouldn't let them close to him?

Anna could only hope that from here on things didn't get any worse.

"Excuse me…" a voice took her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see a blonde man, with a very tired face, smiling calmly at them "Are you Asakura Yoh-san's family?"

"Yes." Hao said, standing up at once. "I'm his brother. How is he?"

"I'm doctor Faust, nice to meet you." He said with a bow. Hao made no moves to do the same, too eager to find out how his twin was doing "Your brother will be fine in a couple of days. We did all we could to help him… If you hadn't stop the bleeding, he would have died for sure."

"So… He's alive?" A relieved smiled appeared on the faces of everyone who was listening to the conversation.

"Yes, very alive." The doctor confirmed. "He is unconscious right now, but should wake up soon. If you want, you can visit him." He smiled and turned to the same nurse who had brought the sleeping drug to Detective Diethel "My dear wife, Eliza, will show you the room, won't you, dear?"

The nurse nodded, smiling sweetly.

"Follow me, please." She said, her voice so low that Anna almost didn't hear.

Hao and Anna followed the nurse as quickly as they could, their hearts racing. There was a feeling of relief with both of them, Yoh was alive after all, yet there was also a new fear: In what state would he be once he woke up?

It seemed to take forever to get there. They walked, walked and walked. The corridors seemed to be miles and miles long. And then there was the elevator, which seemed to have taken ages to arrive. And once they were inside, they thought soon they would be able to see Yoh.

Oh, were they wrong. Anna had never had such a huge urge to punch an old person before. Yoh was on the third floor, Nurse Eliza had told them. It shouldn't take that long to arrive there. But an old man came in just as the doors were closing, and pressed the wrong button… Three times. So first they went to the garage, bellow the reception, where they were before. Then they went up to they stopped on the first floor. And then the second floor.

But that wasn't enough. When they arrived at the third floor, which was where Yoh was and where the old man wanted to go, he took forever to get out of the elevator. When they were going to get out, the doors closed, and the elevator went up to the fifth floor, before going down again to the third.

And during the entire time Anna's heart was beating so fast she thought it would explode. She wanted to see Yoh. She wanted to see him now! She wanted to make sure he was ok. She wanted to erase the images of him, dying, his blood staining the while uniform.

His room was 312, Nurse Eliza had told them. It was at the end of the west wing on the far left. It's window faced the back of the hospital, so he could see the garden, instead of the parkway and many buildings.

Anna could feel her heart beating fast as the nurse opened the door. And sure enough, when she saw the inside, it was like everything had stopped. Lying on the bed with some 10 wires connected to his body was her future lover and current best friend: Asakura Yoh.

"It is… Just like back then…" Hao said, his voice now back to that whisper it was some time ago. "When I was finally allowed to see him after my parents' murder… He looked just like that: Unconscious, fragile and with all these machines attached to him."

Anna chose to remain silent.

"We're reliving all of it again, aren't we?" Hao continued. He walked up to his brother's bed and took hold of his hand "I'm sorry I broke my promise… I would do anything to switch places with you…" he then touched his forehead with Yoh's, and closed his eyes. Only then did Anna notice that there were tears running down his cheeks. "I'm sorry… Please forgive me Yoh… I'm the worse brother… You could ever have…. I'm sorry…" he said in between sobs.

Anna let out a small sigh and turned to Nurse Eliza with a meaningful look. She quickly understood and walked out of the room, followed by Anna.

"They need some time." Anna said, closing the door behind her. "The two of them were always very close. Sometimes during this brotherly gooey stuff we need to give them some privacy."

"It must be hard for him…" Eliza said in her sweet voice "Almost losing his beloved brother like that…"

"And it is the second time." Anna nodded in agreement, her eyes looking down.

"But it doesn't mean you are not hurting either." She added as an after thought "Almost losing a lover is very painful as well."

That made her look up.

"What?!" Oh, why God? Why even at this hospital do you chose to embarrass this girl? Why even in this situation do you chose to have someone talking about her feelings towards her best friend? Are you that sick? Do you love to see her face getting red, like it is right now?

"Losing a lover… Some time ago I got shoot in the head. It was a miracle I didn't die. I did stay in a coma for a few months though." Was this woman for real? She was talking about that as if it was the most natural thing in the world "When I woke up I saw Dr. Faust by my side, looking like he hadn't slept in years… I think… I think he looked worse than I did."

"Me and Yoh are not lovers." Anna said, crossing her arms.

"Not yet." The nurse smiled "I know it is hard now. It must be painful seeing him this way." Anna silently agreed, although she didn't know which sight she preferred: Yoh being covered in blood dying, or Yoh looking so breakable and like he couldn't do anything on his own. "But things will work out in the end."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"You love him, don't you?"

"I…" deep breath "I do."

She smiled.

"Then just believe that he loves you enough to keep going. Once he sees how much you're worried about him he'll sure try to get better as fast as he can."

"He won't see me worried." Anna said, looking at the door behind her "He'll see me so furious and ready to slap him when he gets better that he'll make up just about any excuse to stay sick."

Eliza only laughed at that.

"Well, wish him good luck for me. I'll be checking a few things with Dr. Faust and then we will come to talk to him." She turned around "It was nice to meet you."

Anna only nodded, before turning around herself and peering into the room, seeing if she could come in.

Hao had already stopped crying. Right now he was still sitting by Yoh's side and holding his hand, only now his forehead wasn't touching Yoh's.

"How is he?" Anna asked as she came in.

"Same." He said, his eyes not tearing away from his twin's face "He's still unconscious."

"I see…" she walked up to the other side of the bed and sat there, looking at his face. He looked so pale… He looked about ten times worse than his normal pale sickly self. "Do you think he'll want to draw something once he wakes up?"

"Maybe."

"I'll ask Mosuke to bring it."

And after that neither of them knew what to say. Yoh's breathing was slow and heavy, and his skin felt cold to the touch. The minutes felt like hours, and sometimes Anna would catch a quick glance of Yoh's shoulder's under the hospital's thin white blankets, seeing the fresh cuts. She would have to ask the hospital to give him something better to protect him from the cold nights.

How? How could someone be so cruel? How could anyone do such a thing? Killing two parents in front of one of their children's eyes? Letting a small 10 year old to die and the other locked inside a closet? And then, after 7 years, when the twins whose lives he ruined were finally getting some peace of mind, calling them and _threatening _them? And if that wasn't enough he still had to do this?

How could someone be so cold blooded? She wanted to see whoever did this to Yoh, whoever was putting Hao through this much emotional pain, whoever was destroying her best friends' lives, rotting in jail.

"O… Onii… Chan…" they heard a weak voice they knew so well. "An… Na…"

All the room was quiet for a moment, Hao and Anna's full attention on the boy lying on the bed, whose eyes were slowly opening.

"O… Onii… Chan. An… Na." he smiled, closing his eyes "Yokata… You guys are okay."

**And this is the end of Chapter 16!! Did you like it? I really enjoyed writing, even though I'm worried that the explanation of events that Lyserg's Father and Anna and Hao gave could be a little confusing. I tried to explain in every possible way I could, and now I'm worried that I may have confused everyone. ^^" **

**Well, many of you were angry with me because of last chapter's cliff hanging. I got 20 (5 less than the record) reviews, all with the same message: "PLEASE, DON'T KILL YOH!!!". And occasionally there was a death threat. But see? Don't worry, I did not kill Yoh! (Yet)… Some of you even noticed that I didn't add a note at the end of the chapter! Well, I did that because I wanted to have more drama! Think about it, if there was me talking about whatever in the end of the chapter it wouldn't be nearly as exciting! You would have calmed down by the time you were going to write the review and… And I wanted to know your reactions. **

**Sadly, this fanfic is coming to an end. But I do have some good news: I am going to write 20 chapters instead of 19 as it was originally planned. And I already know what my two next multi-chapter English fanfics will be. And guess what? THEY WILL BE YOHXANNA! =DDD Although it will be hard writing something after Silent. T_T**

**I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Silent so far has 209 reviews (THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Really, thank you! I never thought I would someday receive 209 reviews, I'm really glad! I never thought so many people would like it! THANK YOU!!!) and 143 pages (not counting this notes of mine. I add them later). **

**Thank you for reading!!!**

12


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

It had been weeks since the incident, and Detective Liam hadn't found the man yet. Like he had promised, the day after Yoh finally woke up he came by the hospital and asked Yoh what happened. It was just like what they had imagined. Yoh drugged Hao and Anna so they wouldn't see the man's face and therefore wouldn't need to be killed.

But he did say something no one was expecting. The night Anna's parents threw the party, the same day their friends found out the twins were living with Anna, Yoh told them the man was there. That was a complete shock to all of them. Yoh explained that he felt someone watching him and Anna, while Hao went out to get them something to eat. He said that when he turned around to see if his brother was back, he saw him, the man who had killed his parents, standing by the door. He told Detective Liam that just before seeing him he and Anna were talking about the fact that Yoh had finally spoke something about the night.

It all made sense now. The man somehow got inside the house, and overheard Yoh and Anna's conversation. He didn't know how much Yoh had talked, but fearing he would soon be caught, he decided to kill him. That's why Yoh knew that soon he would be attacked. He had seen the man at the party.

And Yet the man had not been caught. Yoh was out of the hospital, and the three of them were now living in the Diethel's mansion. Needless to say now Lyserg and the rest of the group knew everything about the twin's past, and they made a fuss over. Pirika literally begged to forgiveness on her knees for not considering their situation. Tamao only quietly bowed and mumbled what Anna thought sounded like "I'm sorry."

Oh, and Lyserg now followed them outside his house, to make sure they were going to be ok. Ren, Horo-Horo and Chocolove kept a close watch on everyone in school, making sure no one too suspicious came close to them. Manta now helped Yoh with his homework without nagging to him about how he was too lazy. And even though Pirika was still trying to make Yoh fall in love with Tamao, she stopped doing as often and her attempts were less obvious. Anna didn't know if she should be happy that is less worse than before, or angry that they had concluded that Yoh isn't actually in love with Anna but only close to her because she was the only one who knew his past.

Detective Liam tried his hardest to close the case so the three of them could return to a normal, and although they didn't catch the man yet, it did not mean that progress hadn't been made. They had already found out, for example, the identity of the killer. Because of the cameras on Marco's garage and on Anna's house, they were able to make out a face, and soon after found out who he was.

John Denbat was his name. According to Detective Liam's research, he was a former member of the British S.A.S. and moved to Japan 12 years ago, with his wife Meene Montgomery, who died in a fire a year before Mikihisa and Keiko's murder. After his wife's death Denbat became depressed and lost his job. In a few months he stated to go into debt. That is why he went to Yoh and Hao's home that night. The Asakura family had quite a lot of money, and since they lived in Izumo, which was close to where Denbat and his wife had moved two years before, he decided to try and rob them. That was all it was suppose to be, according to Detective Liam's theory. But when he saw the family inside, of course he couldn't risk it, and tried to kill them all.

_Life is not fair_. That's what he had said to Mikihisa before killing him. Now Yoh, Anna and Hao could make sense of those words.

After the murder, John Denbat apparently got better. Maybe the thrill of killing made him come back to the real world, and although he did not have money, he was able to start working again. Hao wasn't surprise to find out his job was in Izumo, a job where he could keep an eye on the twins in case they spoke.

But it did not end there. About four years ago, when Yoh and Hao were 12, he became rich, by creating some sort of laser weapon in space, known as XDI. He was able to gain lots of money and became one of the most rich people in Japan, entering the guest list of the famous Kyouyama's party. Needless to say after selling his weapon he quit his job.

Detective Liam suspected that after quitting his job he tried to lead a normal life, but obviously, because of the murder he committed, couldn't. He obviously had no desire to kill again, doing that only that time, when he was desperate. But of course he didn't want to go to jail, so the best way to keep things under control was to make sure Yoh never spoke about that night. Since the younger twin was in that zombie state, he did not have a lot to worry about. But as soon as Yoh started to speak again, Denbat probably became worried, and tried to keep things under control.

From there on, they all knew how the rest of the story went. He started stalking them, desperate to make sure he was never caught. Detective Liam ordered Yoh and Hao's grandparents' house to be searched, and there they found some bugs, cleverly hidden. Probably Denbat putted there, years ago, and was able to find out about the move to Tokyo by it. He ordered then another search on Yoh and Hao's house and on at Anna's, but fortunately there wasn't a thing. He didn't have time to infiltrate, probably because of his desperation to not be caught… That most likely was the reason why everything he was doing became more sloppy.

It was a sad story, what happened to John Denbat… Still, that didn't make Hao or Anna any less angry at him. Especially now that they had a name and face. Now that the killer wasn't just an unknown shadow, that haunted their nightmares they couldn't wait until he was caught. They always asked Detective Liam if there were any other leads, or if anyone had seen him. Apparently, after the Kyouyama's party he just disappeared. No one had ever seen or heard from him since… Which of course, meant the police was looking for him everywhere, and it would take quite some time and luck to find him.

Anna still remembered Yoh's face when he saw the picture the Detectives showed him. They showed him picture of 7 different men, asking him if he was the one who killed his parents and attacked him on that day. When they showed him the picture of men number four, the color was drained from Yoh's face, and Anna thought for a second he would faint. Hao noticed as well, but restrained himself from saying anything, knowing he had to wait until his brother made the identification.

Yoh looked down, before nodding. He bit his lip and closed his eyes, and Anna swore she saw some tears forming in his eyes.

"That's him… He… He was the man…" Yoh said, in a low voice. "He's the man who killed my parents… He was the one I saw… The other day at the park… And visiting Anna's house… And the man who tried to kill me. It's him, I'm sure."

"That's all we needed to hear." Liam said, and then he patted Yoh on the shoulder "You did very good. Let's go boys, we need to give Yoh some time to calm down."

After they left, the three friends were alone. Hao smiled and told him everything was going to be ok for now on, and that soon they were going to be able to live a normal life. Anna hugged him, and told him how proud she was of him, being able to do all that was asked of him and hold his head high.

And then he… Well, it wasn't a love confession _exactly_ but it came close to it. Very close. So close Anna's heart started beating fast, and for some stupid teenage reason she found herself blushing. Yes, she was blushing. But you couldn't blame her. Even though he didn't meant it in a romantic way and was talking to both her and Hao, he still said… He still said…

He still said he loved her.

Even if he meant it in a best-friend sibling way of love, it still had the word love in it. Plus, she was almost positive that when he looked into her eyes there was something more passionate and meaningful in them.

So yeah, maybe not a confession… But it was close! Very close! Soon he would say those words in a romantic I-want-you-to-marry-me way.

Right now it was night, and Anna was walking towards the Diethel's kitchen, wanting to get some water and then go to sleep. She had been awake the entire night, thinking about the different ways she would torture Denbat once he got caught.

Right now she had gone over five slowly painful deaths. Yet she was not pleased. What that man did was unforgivable. Back then she really thought…. She really thought she was going to lose Yoh forever.

When he finally spoke… It was such a relief. Both her and Hao started laughing and the atmosphere in the room suddenly seemed lighter. But then she got angry and almost slapped him. Almost. She wouldn't hit a hospitalized boy… Of course, when he was allowed to leave the hospital, then she hit him. Hard. How dare him think about sacrifice himself? Did he seriously think that would make her and Hao happier? No! They were friends! They were suppose to go through this kind of things together! They were suppose to be there for each other in situations like these.

Yoh, of course, apologized. He said he was sorry and tried to justify but Anna refused to forgive him. He needed to learn a lesson. He needed to learn that if he ever made Anna that worried again she would kill him.

Hao stayed every night by his side. He refused to leave. The entire staff of the hospital tried to separate the two. They even tried to use force. But Hao was, somehow, stronger. They kept trying for about an hour until Nurse Eliza and Doctor Faust finally allowed him to stay with his brother.

Anna moved to Lyserg's house the next day, and every morning right before school the two would go check on the twins. They would go to their room only to find them sharing a bed, Yoh in a fetal position, curling up to Hao, almost as if asking for the older twin to shield him. And that's exactly what he did. He had his arms around him in a protective way, and if he heard a small sound he would look up and glare at whoever was daring to disrupt his dear brother's sleep.

To say Hao had gotten more over protective was the understatement of the century. He blamed himself for what happened to Yoh, for not being able to protect him. So he decided to become ten times more over protective. No kidding. And after they found out who was the killer was, his paranoia increased. He would look around in the street, and once he saw someone who resembled Denbat, he would run to them and actually try to hit them. No kidding. He would. Luckily Yoh was always there to stop him.

"Anna?" she heard someone call "What are you doing here?"

She looked up only to find Yoh, standing in the kitchen, holding a glass of water.

"I could ask you the same thing."

He laughed and pointed to the glass.

"Couldn't sleep. I had nightmares again, so I came to look at the stars. But I felt thirsty so…"

"Nightmares?" Anna asked, worried "Again? After so much progress?"

He shrugged.

"It may be coming to an end but…" He smiled softly "I still… I still can't forget what happened to mom and dad. I still can't help but be haunted by those memories."

"Well… What about your sleeping pills?" Anna asked, getting a glass of water for herself "Didn't Hao drug you tonight?"

"Nope." He said, laughing "Detective Diethel took the one he had as evidence, and now we still have to buy a new one."

"So you haven't slept since that day?" Anna asked, surprised.

"Since I came back from the hospital." He sighed "But yeah, a long time indeed… I'm really tired, but if I close my eyes I see that night again."

"Well, what if I stay awake with you? Would that help?"

He smiled sweetly.

"Yeah… That would make me very happy."

Yoh smiled and walked towards the living room, Anna following him. The Diethel Living room was big, and unlike Anna's living room, it actually looked like someone used it. To Anna it was amazing. She never thought she would see a place like that: So warm and full of love. She could even imagine little Lyserg and his parents, standing by the fire-place and just enjoying time together. It was a beautiful scene… One she never knew and never shared with her parents. But someday, she hoped to share that with Yoh, Hao and whoever decided to join their family.

"Why are you awake?" Yoh asked, as they sat down in the living room "Nightmares?"

"No. I just couldn't sleep." She sighed and looked out the window "So much has happened… But soon it will end."

"I hope so." Yoh said, smiling sadly. "I think Hao would like to visit mom and dad's grave, once we are allowed to leave Tokyo."

"And you? Wouldn't you like that?"

Yoh shook his head, looking down.

"I… I don't think I can face them… Even after everything is over… I can't."

Anna frowned.

"Why not?"

"I… I don't know. I know they would forgive me. And I know they're probably worried about me. But I feel so ashamed… They may forgive me but I don't think I can ever forgive myself for what happened."

"That's stupid." Anna said, shaking her head. "Mikihisa and Keiko wouldn't like to know that you blame yourself for their deaths. They would hate to see you living like this."

Yoh smiled sadly.

"Just another reason not to visit their graves."

"You're pathetic." She said "And nothing I say will change your mind, will it?"

"Nope." Yoh smiled.

Anna looked at him, almost as if hopelessly. How the hell did she fall in love with such an idiot?

"Well, you don't have such a great relationship with your parents either." Yoh pointed out "You never had… Did you ever thought about trying to fix things between the three of you?"

"No, and I'm not going to." She answered "It's their fault we have such a crappy family. They were the ones who ignored me and treated me like trash. I'm not a forgiving person like you, Yoh. I won't forgive them… I don't see them as my family."

"Who is you family then?"

"The Asakura, obviously." Anna looked at him surprised, as if he was suppose to already know that "The Asakura Family is my family. You, Hao, Kino-sensei, Yohmei-sama… Soon I'll become Anna Asakura."

Yoh laughed.

"That does have a nice ring to it." He nodded his head "Asakura Anna… I like it. I like it a lot."

"So do I. But when we get married, I won't be one of those girls who do everything for you. Oh, no. You will cook and clean. You and your brother."

"I somehow expected that." He said "And we're going to run an Inn, right?"

"Yes." Anna nodded "And one child. That's it. I refuse to have more."

"Why am I not surprised?" Yoh asked, smiling.

"I'm serious!" she frowned "If you don't like the way I plan our lives together, then you should go and marry Tamao."

"Tamao?" Yoh blinked "How did she get into this conversation?"

"Don't play stupid." Anna said, her eyes starting to burn with anger "She is completely in love with you."

"Yes… Hao told me that but… Why do you hate her so much?"

"Because she loves you!" when all she got as answer was his eyes blinking, she sighed, angrily "You proposed to me a long time ago, in case you forgot."

"I haven't."

"You and I are engaged. Therefore, anyone who is interested in you, I don't care if it's a girl, a boy or a goddamn monkey, should keep their distance. I don't want anyone close to _my_ fiancée."

Yoh started laughing.

"I'm serious!"

"I know you are." He laughed more "That's why it is so funny! Anna-chan is such a jealous girl!"

Of course, that comment earned him a big slap… From Anna's _left_ hand.

"And you better not cheat on me, you got it?"

"Yeah yeah…" he said, rubbing his cheek "How can you be so strong?"

"I'm serious Yoh." She then got really close "Do. Not. Cheat. On. Me."

He smiled sweetly.

"I won't. I promise."

"Promise?"

"Of course." He said, his voice low, due to the fact that, somehow, their faces were only a few inches apart. "Why would I cheat on you? I… I lo…"

But of course, fate had different plans. Hao appeared on the door, his eyes wide with panic, breathing hard.

"Yoh!" he said, interrupting his brother, right when he was going to say the fabulous and oh-so-desired _L_ word. In the same second Yoh stood up, his face no longer close to Anna's. She swore under her breath.

Asakura Hao was a dead man.

"Where were you?!" Hao asked, so loud that Anna was surprised that no one in the house seemed to wake up "Do you know how scared I was?! I wake up to check on you, and find you are not on your bed!"

"I'm sorry Hao." Yoh said, smiling and walking over to his brother "I couldn't sleep, so I came get some water and…"

"Wake me up when you can't sleep." Hao said, angry now "For a second I thought that Denbat bastard had kidnapped you!"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't ever do that again." Hao repeated, and then hugged his brother "Don't leave me like that… I can't afford to lose you… You know that."

"I know." Yoh nodded his head, and hugged him back "I'm sorry."

"It's ok." The older twin said, and then looked at Anna. "What are you doing here?"

Not hearing a love confession from Yoh, was what she wanted to answer. Planning ways to murder you, was another option she thought. But instead, she answered:

"I was thirsty and came to get some water."

"Oh." He said nothing further, and looked at his twin once again "Come on, let's go to our room… I'll buy the sleeping pills tomorrow, so you can have a dreamless night of sleep, ok?"

"Ok." Yoh smiled "Good Night Anna."

"Good Night Yoh."

The next day, Hao came downstairs for breakfast with five red fingers marked on each cheek.

Besides the obvious pain Hao was in, the rest of the day went pretty normal. They went to school and then came back to the Diethel's house. When Detective Liam got back home they asked for updates on the case. Any news of Denbat's whereabouts? Where was he last seen? How long until he is caught?

Unfortunately, most of the time they had nothing new. Maybe someone saw a person who like him in Osaka, or in Kyoto. Sometimes they saw in Sapporo. Nothing really helpful for the case.

Days went by, and they were slowly losing hope. Detective Liam had told them while it was possible for him to have left the country, he highly doubted. His gut told him the man did not leave Tokio. According to him, he believed John Denbat would not go far from Yoh. While they did have the tapes as evidence, Yoh was the only one who could connect Denbat to the murders from years ago. Without Yoh, he would have a better chance in front of a jury.

So while the rest of the police was trying to track him all over Japan and England, Diethel used his dowsing abilities to find him in Tokyo. He said he had picked up some energy close to Anna's neighborhood. He suspected he was hiding somewhere in there.

It agonizing! They were so close to finally putting an end to this nightmare! And even though it had only been weeks since the attempt to Yoh's life, it seemed like years. Knowing the man's face… Knowing his name… Knowing all he had done… And knowing he was out there, free…! That was just… Just agonizing.

"How long…?" Hao asked, three days after interrupting Yoh's possible love confession. "How long will we have to wait?"

"Not long, Hao." Anna said, turning to look at Yoh. It was raining outside, so the three of them were sitting on the living room, doing basically nothing. Well, Anna anyway. Yoh was drawing, and Hao was waiting until he finished his work so he could take a look. Lyserg was reading some sort of mystery novel, and there was nothing on TV.

"We were told that when Yoh was still on the hospital." He said angrily.

"Well, we already know who he is." Anna said "We know everything about him. It won't take long until we can finally see him behind bars."

"How long is 'too long'?"

"Finding someone takes time" Lyserg said, closing his book. "But dad is close. I promise you."

And just like Lyserg had promised, a week later, they had a lead.

He had been spotted by some police officers close to their school. They ran towards him, but the man had guns, and shot both cops. He got away, but because of that they were able to narrow their searches. That night the Detective did not came home, but stayed the entire night searching.

It took two days… But then finally happened. They finally caught Denbat, hiding in a house belonging to Pofe Griffith. The man was out of Japan and had asked his friend to take care of his house while he was gone.

They arrested him and took him away. Finally, they had caught him…

But then something that Hao wasn't waiting for happened. Something he and Anna were completely against and tried to stop, considering Yoh's sensitivity. They were scared, scared that if that happened Yoh would completely lose it. One thing was identify a man by looking at a picture, the other was having to stand right in front of him, with nothing but a thin glass separating them.

Yoh would have to go to the police station and identify the man they caught as John Denbat… Yoh would have to face the man who killed both his parents in front of his eyes.

**Yes, this is chapter 17! We're coming close to the ending! Now you know who the killer is! Haha! And yet… Yet next chapters will have even more surprises! And then the chapter after that even more! And the last one… That one I can't wait to write!!! =D**

**I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I was working on a two-chapter oneshot, and I only realized I was coming close to my deadline on Sunday. XD My two chapter oneshot is almost finished and I hope to soon publish it! **

**By the way, I know some things in this chapter can be wrong considering how an official murder investigation would go. I'm aware of that… Some of the things is because I'm really clueless about it (let's face it, no matter how much Law and Order and Mystery novels I read, I suck at knowing how the real world legal system actually work), but some of it is actually part of things that I have planned for this fanfic! Yes, there are some things to come still. Not as surprising or exciting as before… Well, actually, just one thing, which is for the ending I guess…**

**Either way, thanks to everyone who has read this fanfic! I'm grateful (wow, never thought I would say that word) to everyone! I'm really going to miss writing this fanfic! I'm going to miss all the angry reviews! XD Seriously, I am! It will be hard to write another multi-chapter after this one.**

**Silent so far has 151 pages and 229 reviews! Let's see how many reviews we'll have by the end of this fanfic! =D**

11


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

Not much longer. That was all Anna could think while Liam drove the three of them to the police station. Not much longer before it was all over. Yoh would identify John Denbat as his parents murder, as the man who threaten him and who tried to take his life. Then they would have a trial, where the jury would have to find him guilty. He would go to jail and finally peace would come back to the life of the Asakura Twins. It shouldn`t take very long.

But, like always, time decides he wants to screw their lives even more, and is making sure that it goes by very slowly. It had been only a few minutes since they entered the car, yet it felt like days. And the traffic lights were not helping either. Remember the conspiracy Anna had suspected before? Yeah, if this did not prove time and traffic lights worked together to piss Anna off, than she didn`t know what would.

But it was not like she was the only one impatient. Every now and then she would look towards the two brothers, and see Hao trying to occupy himself with something. Of course, he was failing miserably. The atmosphere in the car was too tense to even try to speak, so he tried to read or listen to music or just look out the window like Anna was doing. Yet he couldn`t. His leg kept moving while he stared outside, he couldn`t read one page of the book, and no music seem so satisfy him since kept changing and changing. Anna could tell he wanted to do something to keep his mind off what was going to happen, but it was impossible.

And who could blame him? He was about to let his little brother, the one he protected so furiously, face the man who had murder their parents. He would have to sit back and stare are the man who destroyed their lives. Anna had no doubt Hao wanted to kill the bastard more than anything, yet he would have to keep himself from doing it. It would be hard, she could tell. Think about it, the man murdered his parents, tried to kill his precious brother not once, but twice, threaten them God knows how many times, and stalked them. Not to mention the way he indirectly affected their lives. Yoh shut himself from the world for seven years because of this man`s actions. He was still in the process of opening himself up. Hao almost lost the most precious person to him many times because of that man. And now he was being forced to make his brother face the monster that hunts his nightmare, Hao would have to sit back and see what would happen to Yoh after the encounter, and see that man walking calmly in front of him. And what could he do? Absolutely _nothing. _

Needless to say, that was the reason the long haired boy was slowly losing his sanity in the car.

Anna would also have to hold herself from doing anything illegal while at the station. She had seen how much that bastard had affected her best friends` lives. The man had destroyed the lives of those two while they were only children, and Yoh suffered so much because of it. No one had any idea how much it hurt seeing the boy she loved going through so much pain. No one knew how painful it was seeing Yoh and Hao suffering like that, struggling to keep their small world together, and not being able to do anything to help. She tried, of course, but it still felt like her efforts were useless. She wanted to get there and finish everything. She wanted it all to be over, so Yoh and Hao could start enjoying life again. And so she could see that smile Yoh had as a child once again.

He seemed to be the only one who did not want to get there yet. Yoh was sitting in the middle, between Hao and her, looking down, with his hair covering his face. He seemed to have shrunk immensely during their ride, his shoulders getting more leveled with his head and his arms even closer to his body. It didn`t take a genius to know that he didn`t want to do this. He really did not want to do this. Yet here he was, on his way to face Denbat, all because he knew this was the only way to bring justice to his parents` death.

"We`re here." Liam finally said, stopping the car and looking back at them. "Are you ready?"

Hell yeah, Anna felt like saying. She was ready to get everything over with, so tonight the three of them could try enjoy a peaceful night together. Maybe they could go to the movies, without Tamao and Pirika, watch something interesting to get their minds off of everything that was happening.

"Are you ready Yoh?" Hao asked, looking at his twin worried.

"Yeah…" came the weak reply, as he looked up "I`m as ready I can get, I guess." He tried to laugh, but it didn`t work.

Hao looked at Anna and then at Yoh. He then looked at Liam, worried.

"Does he really need to this? You already have enough evidence, don`t you? And we can speak during trial but now…"

"I`m sorry Hao. I don`t want to put Yoh through this either, but it is necessary. The defense will say that the videos did not have enough quality and therefore it would be almost impossible to tell if it really was Denbat in the garage."

"But that`s ridiculous! He was at my house as well, and you have that tape. It is really high quality and…"

"But the one in the garage isn`t. The defense will argue that there were many other guests at that party that looked like the on in the tape. And even so, that would make him accountable for attempt murder. Yoh needs to identify Denbat as the man who murdered him and his parents, and then on the day of the trial, he`ll need to tell us what happened that night."

Hao immediately looked up at that.

"What? Are you insane? Yoh won`t even tell _me_ what happened! He can`t do it in front of so many people! That`s insane!"

"I`m sorry Hao, but that is the way it is. Denbat hired one damn good lawyer."

"We can`t force him to do this much! He just started to open up! He just started talking a year ago! You are doing the same thing the police back in Izumo did! You are putting too much pressure on Yoh! I`m not going to let you do that to him! I`m not going to lose him again!"

"Hao, I understand, but…"

"But nothing!" Anna looked at Hao surprised. He was really losing it. "If you understood you would find another way to put that son of a bitch in jail and leave my brother out of it!"

"Hao…"

"No, I will not…" Hao stopped talking when Yoh`s hand landed on his wrist. He looked at his brother with wide eyes, and all the other did was smile.

"Don`t worry so much about me, Nii-chan. I`m fine."

"But Yoh…"

"It`s ok. Don`t worry about it." He then looked at Liam "Can we do this as fast as possible? Please?"

The detective just nodded and stepped out of the car. Then Hao, Yoh and Anna did the same.

They walked into the police station in silent. Anna kept looking everywhere, seeing how different things were from the movies she watched. She could feel her heart beating fast. Now walking there she could finally feel it: It was all coming to an end.

So why did she have this nagging feeling that something wasn`t exactly right? And why was it taking so damn long to get to the correct room?! These halls seemed to be miles and miles long! Were they in the conspiracy as well?

"Where is this place?" she finally asked, impatient. "How big can this police station be anyway?!"

"We`re almost there, Anna." Liam said, holding a laugh.

And soon enough they did arrive there. Anna looked at Yoh worried, and noticed his eyes were wide and he was biting his bottom lip. His breaths also seemed uneven and he was holding Hao`s hand tightly. That was not good… Yoh was getting nervous. Very nervous.

He wasn`t ready yet.

"Now, I`m going inside to make sure everything is alright, and you wait here. I`ll call you when it`s time." And with that Liam disappeared through the door.

"Yoh, are you okay?" Anna asked, as soon as they were alone.

"Of course he is not okay Anna!" Hao yelled impatient "We shouldn`t be forcing him to do this!"

"I asked Yoh, Hao, not you." Anna said serious and then put a hand on his shoulder "I think it is better for you to sit down."

The younger twin only nodded his head, and together, the three sat on some chairs that were outside the room. He put his head down and tried to take long breaths, but was too nervous. This got Anna even more worried. If he was like that before seeing the man, what would happen once he was inside? Would he have one of his flash backs? Would he… Would he go back to that state, just like Hao feared? It seemed almost like he has been walking on the edge ever since he saw Denbat on the park that day.

God, it seemed like so long ago. She remembered the first time she saw Yoh close to this. They were at the movies, and there a murder scene. Yoh couldn`t take it. And then when she found out about Mikihisa and Keiko`s death… He was also somewhat like this. And finally when he saw Denbat at the park… He really scared her and Hao at that time. Anna seriously believed they were going to lose Yoh. Ever since then Hao had been even more over protective, thinking that anything could send the boy back to those zombie-like days. Yoh was walking in a thin line, Anna finally realized that. He was able to behave normally, but the truth was, his mental state was so fragile that anything could make him shut himself from the world again.

And right now Anna was seriously starting to think that maybe this wasn`t a good idea. He reacted negatively to seen Denbat`s picture! How would he be able to handle actually staring at the real man?

"Hey!" Anna yelled to anyone who would listen "Can we have a glass of water?!"

Some people were angry with her way of asking, but when they saw the state Yoh was in, no one said anything. A police officer quickly went got the glass, giving it to Yoh.

"Is he ok?"

"What do you think Sherlock?" Anna asked. What was up with people? Did he _seem_ ok? If he was okay would she be asking for a glass of water like that, bringing so much attention to themselves? "Of course not! Now leave him alone."

"I think she asked Yoh, Anna, not you." Hao said, with a smirk, as Yoh drank a little of the water.

"I don`t care." She answered, and then sighed "Yoh, do you really want to do this?"

"We could ask Detective Diethel to try to do it in another way and…"

"No." Yoh said, shaking his head "Then it will never end. I…" he let out a sob "I just want this all to end."

Hao sighed, and hugged him.

"You know I don`t care about any of this, right?" he asked "I told you before, for as much I would like to see that bastard forever put in jail. I would much rather see you happy."

"I will be happy once this is behind us." He answered, hugging his brother.

"Me too." Hao said.

Anna looked away, trying to give them some privacy. The bound between them only seems to go stronger and stronger every second. And now thinking about it, it would only be natural to do so. Those two went through hell, and during all those years they only had each other. Yoh saved Hao`s life, and Hao took care of Yoh. And even when they were kids, they were so close, all because people refuse to talk to them. They were the two weird twins who had no friends. Since the beginning they were always together, giving each other strength.

And now, in one of the most important and difficult days of their lives, it would be no difference. Anna had no doubt that once this was all over, Yoh and Hao would be closer than ever.

Which will be troublesome once Yoh and Anna go away on their honeymoon. They could barely stay a week apart from each other without having Hao calling them multiple times a day and staying hours with Yoh on the phone. That would definitely cause some trouble.

Would that sleeping drug be able to have an effect that lasted a few days…?

"I`m sorry…" Hao said suddenly. "I couldn`t protect you back then. I`m sorry. I should have tried to keep you safe. I`m sorry…"

"Don`t be stupid Hao." Yoh said, frowning, letting go of his brother. "There was no way you could do anything."

"I could have pulled you inside! I could have done something, anything to help!"

"Hao…" Yoh looked at him serious. "You couldn`t have done anything. He already knew about me. He knew I had seen him. And he would keep searching for me in the house until I was dead. The best thing I could do was make sure you were safe and would not be discovered."

"But…"

"That night…" Yoh started, his voice changing a little, catching Anna`s attention "We were playing hide and seek, while waiting for you to call Anna. We started playing and you hid in the closet. I went looking for you and I asked mom and dad where you were… That`s when… When… When I saw him…"

Anna looked at Hao. So… So he was finally opening up to them. Finally…

"I saw him, and tried to hide behind mom, and then they saw him." He took a deep breath before continuing "And he saw them, but not me. Dad tried to talk to him, but he wouldn`t listen to dad… And then… And then… He… He stabbed him.

"Mom… She screamed. And then he went to kill her. She tried to run but then he would see me, so he tired to kill her. She tried to protect me, and push me away, but he… He stabbed her on the back… And then again… And again… And again…

"I was too scared. All… All I could was watch as he did that to her. And mom fell… And there was blood… Everywhere… I had blood all over me…" his eyes during the entire time were distant. He wasn`t shedding tears, to Anna`s surprise. She was expecting him to be hysterical. But instead it was almost like he wasn`t even there with them. It seemed like he was reliving the entire thing, like he did every night in his dreams, and right now all he was doing was telling them what he saw. "I couldn`t move… And he kept stabbing her. I… couldn`t help mom… And I couldn`t help dad either. I was too scared… All I did was watch."

Anna looked at Hao, worried. Yoh was not okay. He may not be crying, but she knew that inside he was a mess. And right now he was reliving the entire experience. He was reliving all those horrible memories, right now, while awake. It worried them. While it was a relieve to know he was finally letting them in a little, it felt like he was not there with them. His voice and his eyes… Anna was scared that if he went to far back into his memories, he would end up in the zombie-like state he had lived for the past 7 years. The same state that Hao had told her about, in which he would be emotionless, and be reliving his memories again and again and again… Only showing any kind of emotion when having nightmares.

She had to resist the urge to go ahead and hug him. She could only imagine the horrible scene: Little Yoh, seeing his mother being killed right in front of his eyes. She could see him blaming himself for what was happening. The images in her head, of how that night must have been, were too horrible. Poor little Yoh was so close to what was happening that his mother`s blood spilled on him. She could almost see his wide eyes, the terror that filled them, his mind screaming for him to do something, but his body not responding. It must have been terrifying.

Yet she tried to resist the urge to hug him. She was scared that if she did, he wouldn`t continue. He wasn`t showing much emotion, but the fact that he was talking about that night was progress, right? Wasn`t it? It was like he had unlocked the door to his heart, and was letting them pear inside his memories. It wasn`t much, but it was something. Even if what he was saying held no emotion, even if he was not there with them telling what was happening, it still felt like progress, It made them understand him a little bit more.

And Anna was scared that if she hugged him, if she interrupted him in any sort of way, he would lock that door again, go back to the present day and never again share what happened that night.

"Then he saw me. I tried to run as fast as possible. I… I grabbed anything that I could find in my way and threw it at him, to slow him down. It worked, but he kept running. And that`s when Hao came out from hiding. I was scared for him. I thought if he saw Hao he would kill him. I knew he already knew that I existed and wouldn't give up on trying to kill me, but he didn`t know about Hao. So as long as Hao stayed hidden, he would be fine… So I locked him inside, this way he could be safe.

"Then I ran to the kitchen. I wanted to call the police but he appeared at the door, and the telephone was too high for me. So I hid. I hid between the dishwasher and the sink, since they were each at one side of the corners in the kitchen. I hid there, and he kept trying to stab me. The cuts were not deep… But they hurt… A lot… And I was bleeding… I remember… I felt… Light headed… And… I thought I was going to die."

Anna could see that Hao was listen with close attention. She could also see that his eyes were burning with hatred and angers towards John Denbat. The cool, calm, patient, Asakura Hao was closer than ever to losing it.

"My vision got blurry and… And I couldn`t see… I just remember hearing the police coming… Then I heard people running… And someone was talking to me… And I think I saw Nii-chan… That`s all I remember… It got very confusing after that." He paused "I… I really thought I was going to die that night."

And that did it. Anna and Hao reached out to hug him. Yoh hugged them back and bit back a sob. He was finally back. Anna hugged him tighter, not wanting to ever let go. Now more than ever she didn`t want to put Yoh through this. She didn`t want him to see that man again and relived those horrible memories for the second time that day. She wanted to keep him there, in her arms, where he was safe from any harm.

"T-That night…" Yoh said, his voice now having some feelings again. It seemed like he was really back. But that did not mean he was his usual fake smiley-happy-go-lucky-Yoh. No way. His voice was holding a lot of anxiety. He was back to his nervous self. The one that was in the car and with them a few minutes before. "You… You saved me that night, Hao."

"What?" Hao asked, in disbelief. Since then Hao had always believed Yoh was the one who saved him! What was he talking about?

"You saved me…" he tried to smile "If it hadn`t been for you, I would have died as well."

And that, of course, made Hao hug him even tighter than before.

Anna wasn`t sure how long they stayed there. And she honestly didn`t care. All she knew was that Yoh was still crying when Detective Liam appeared in front of them, saying it was time.

"Can`t it be later?" Hao asked.

"The sooner we start the sooner it will end." He then looked at Yoh "Are you okay? Are you ready?"

Yoh looked up at the English man and nodded, biting his bottom lip and trying to keep himself calm.

"Try to calm down." He said. "Do you need anything before we start? A tissue? Glass of water?" buy Yoh shook his head, saying no "Follow me then."

They all stood up and walked inside the room. It was small, and Anna couldn`t help but thinking that it was also terribly dark. There was a glass window, which Anna knew from watching police dramas that was a one-way mirror. Inside there were three other people. Anna suspected two of them to be the lawyers, and the other person… She had no clue who that person was suppose to be.

"So, Yoh, this is how it is going to work." Liam started explaining "On the other side, some people will walk in. They will be holding numbers. I want you to identify the person who attacked you the day in the garage and who killed your parents. You think you can do this?"

Yoh only nodded. But it was obvious he was far from fine. His eyes were still bloodshot red from all the tears, and his cheeks still seemed a bit stained. He was shaking, a lot, and it was clear that he held back tears and sobs.

"Just take as much time as you need." He said, before directing to a microphone close to the window. "Come in."

Sure enough, they did. One by one, in straight single line, they walked in. Each one held a number. Anna looked at each of them with close attention, trying to see when the Denbat bastard would come in.

It didn`t take long. He was the 7th man to walk into the room. Her eyes went wide and she unconsciously formed fists with her hand. She tried to keep her breathing steady, and soon looked at Hao, finding out he was having a much harder time controlling himself than she was.

"Yoh, can you identify the man who killed your parents?" Detective Liam asked.

Anna looked in his direction, worried. She had no idea how the boy would react to the situation. She didn`t know if he was going to start to get nervous, like he was on the way there, or if he was going to start to have flash backs. And she wouldn`t know how to react to either of those situations.

But to her surprise, he was staring at the ground, refusing to look up. He also seemed to have his hands in the form of fists, but it was probably to keep himself calm. Was that good or bad? The fact that he was trying to keep things inside, was it a good thing or a bad thing? For now it was good, since he wasn`t having another flash back, but… it still didn`t seem the proper respsonse.

"It`s…" Yoh said, his voice low "Number...." he looked up quickly, and then looked back down "Number 2. It`s him."

"Take a closer look, young man." Said one of the three people who were already inside the room "You can`t possibly identify a person by looking that fast."

For some reason, Anna felt like punching that women. Had she no idea how hard this must be for Yoh? It was the person who murdered his parents he had to identify, for God`s sake! It`s not like he could forget that face, even if he wanted to!

Reluctantly, Yoh again looked up. His eyes went from face to face, starting from the one who held the highest number. Then stopped and he stared at number two, before looking down again.

"It`s him." He said, his voice weaker than ever "Please… Can I go now?"

"Sure." Liam said, putting a hand on Yoh`s shoulder and smiling softly "You did great Yoh. Just call Amidamaru and you three can go to my house and rest. It must have been a exhausting day."

As soon as he said that Hao grabbed Yoh`s hand and walked out of that so fast Anna barely saw him. Really, for a second it seemed like Hao was walking at the speed of light. He probably wants to take the two of them out of there as soon as possible. For Yoh`s sake and for John Denbat`s sake… Anna was sure Hao was not far from breaking the mirror and murdering the man right there on the spot.

Well, at least _she_ wasn`t far from doing that.

She too walked out of the room and saw the two standing outside. Hao was still holding Yoh`s hand, and the younger twin was looking down, lost in his own thoughts. Noticing the behavior of the two she quickly called Amidamaru, asking him to pick them up. The quicker they got away from this place the better.

While waiting and during the ride the three were silent. What could they say? Was there a proper thing to say in a situation like this? The atmosphere was again too heavy to break, and any attempts to lighten it up would either be stupid or ignored.

But there was still a sense of relief. After facing that wall and Yoh identifying the man, she could almost feel like it was all over. While there was certain a heavy atmosphere, for that experience was bringing them all unpleasant feelings, there was something light about it too. It was like this huge weight that hanged with them was finally relieving itself. A feeling of satisfaction. It was such a strange thing that Anna couldn`t quite describe it.

She did know what it meant though. It would end soon. Now they would only have to go through the trial, and it may be a worse experience than this one, for Yoh will have to actually tell people again what happened that night. And Anna hoped he would be able to do it without going back to the past. She also did not doubt that Hao and her would also have to testify, but that was ok. With all those evidences the jury would find Denbat guilty and then…

And then Yoh would be happy. That thought brought a smile to Anna`s face.

They arrived back at the Diethel household, and the Asakura Twins went upstairs, without hesitation. They locked themselves in the room that was given to them, and didn`t come out until the next morning. Anna changed clothes, ate, stayed with Lyserg and his mother the entire night and greeted Detective Diethel when he finally arrived a few hours later alone.

And that night, while she tried to go to sleep…. She could have sworn she heard a cry coming from the twin`s room.

**Well, this ends this chapter!!! Just a notice to everyone: My computer Marcus (yes, I name my electronics. Marcus is my computer, and Willy is my TV.) decided to play a mean trick on me, which he does often, and decided he wouldn`t work. I have no idea why. It started Sunday night, and since then I`m not able to log in into my username. I tried threaten him with a glass of water, saying that if he didn`t do what I said I would spill all over him (it works with Willy and worked with past electronics), but Marcus is way too smart. He knows I`m completely addicted to the internet and would never do such a thing. **

**Either way, he is going through a rebellious faze, and this weekend we`ll take him somewhere to see if he gets fixed. The main point is: I had no access to my computer files (meaning, my fanfics.). Which basically SUCKS. I was writing a two-chapter oneshot (which Thank Heanvens I sent to RavenAK and Isah to check it for me) that now may be lost (not entirely, just the second chapter which was 60-80% finished… meaning it had about 7-12 pages… All lost… No… TT_TT). ALL BECAUSE MARCUS IS SO DAMN REBELLIOUS. I swear, I did everything for that computer and he decides to rebel. Computers… *sighs*. So I had to write all this in mother computer. It was kind of hard because in Marcus I have the entire fanfic in one file (151 pages without this notes I put at the end) so I can always just scroll up and check to see what I wrote before so it is not inconsistent. But it`s a bit hard doing that with the , mainly because I know more where the things are written by the page and what is written before or after. So I`m sorry if this chapter was a bit confusing.**

**And I think I own some explanations about Yoh`s reactions when it comes to that night. Mainly what he tries to do is keep himself as normal as possible so he will not worry people. But the trauma he went through is big, and he can`t help it but have flash backs about it every night (in his dreams) or when he sees something that reminds him of that. He never shares with anyone his feelings, not even Hao; it`s too hard for him. In situations when he is reminded of that night, he either starts to feel all nervous and anxious, like he did in the beginning of the chapter and sometimes before, or he just goes back and has a flash back; meaning his body may be here, but his mind is back 7 years ago, reliving everything. Usually when that happens he just stays in a almost zombie like state (like during the at the end of chapter 2… GOD, how long ago was THAT?!), only this time he was narrating what he was seeing. During the identification he was sort of nervous and anxious, only he was trying to hold everything inside, to not make things worse. At the end was when he finally let go of all he was feeling during that day. Sorry, I don`t know if it was confusing or not when I explained in the fanfic, so just to make sure I answer this question (if there was any). ^^"**

**Oh! Oh! Oh! And another thing!!! Next chapter… IS THE LAST ONE!!! Yes!! Finally Silent will be OVER! In ONE MONTH! Now, don`t worry. I promised someone way in the beginning of this fanfic that I WILL write an epilogue, and I do intend to keep that promise! So if I have to say, I think Silent will be over _over_ at the end of March. Almost one year after the first chapter was published. I do have already plans for my next fanfics and guess what? The two in English will be YohXAnna (the one in Portuguese will be about Hana)!!! I want to make them following the same style as Silent. By that I mean, there will be the main plot and conflict (in this case is the whole murder thing, with Denbat stalking and Yoh not opening up), and Yoh and Anna`s relationship will develop as the plot and the story does.**

**Silent so far has 246 reviews (almost 250!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!) and (I`m guessing, because Marcus is evil) 161 pages! Sorry for the long note!**


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Anna sighed as she woke up. She wished this day would never come. It was hard to believe, but after all that they`ve been though, she almost wished they were back to when the Asakura twins came to Tokyo.

It was weird. Almost a year ago she was living in complete isolation, not talking to anyone and doing what her parents asked only because she had no idea what else to do. She had no friends. Tamao and Pirika would always call to invite her to go out, but she always refused. "I have friends" was what she would say. Even though she hadn`t seen those friends in 7 years, she still considered them their friends, just like she still considered Tamao her love rival.

Anna thought it was just going to be a normal day at school. She would refuse to go out with Pirika and the others, inventing some ridiculous excuse to why she wouldn`t go, attend all her classes, go home, do homework and sleep. She would never think that that morning she would see her two best and only friends, who she lost contact with long ago.

Funny, back then Anna never thought anything of their arrival. A twist of fate, she had guessed. Her two best friends were back. She couldn`t be happier! They could be together just like when they were little. And neither of the two forgot about her. Yoh still seemed like an idiot, sleeping in class, and Hao still seemed like the over protective older brother he always was. Anna would have never guessed that those attitudes had such a deep meaning.

And she would have never guessed that she would be involved in a 7 year old murder case. Sure, there weird things about Yoh and Hao that first day. She remembered Yoh telling her that they were homeschooled since she left, and Hao explaining how Yoh had developed a liking for drawing. She also remembered all the odd things that she picked up that day, and that they refused to explain. Oh, and she would never forget those despicable, horrible, infuriating words that she come to hate so much. She would refuse to repeat those two words, even now, after it was all over. And she left it clear to the two, if they even thought about saying them, she would kill them.

But who would have ever thought that all those weird things were said because of a murder? Anna would have never, _ever_, thought that the reason why they stopped calling her was because they had lost their parents, and because Yoh was unable to speak.

Yet that was what happened. It took so long for her to figure out that Mikihisa and Keiko were dead, and even longer to figure out what the twins were hiding. The image of the ice cream shop was still fresh in Anna`s mind, Hao`s voice telling her everything that happened still echoing in her ears.

The three of them overcame so much together, during the past months! It was hard to believe they were ever separated! It was hard to believe that a few months ago Anna was still denying her feelings towards the short-haired idiot younger twin.

And right now, as she stared at the beautiful wall Yoh had painted just for her, with the Anna star shining forever in that sky, she almost wished they could go back to those times. _Almost._

Why? Well, because with Denbat now in custody, Yoh and Hao were safe. Which meant there was no reason for them to continue in Tokyo. Detective Diethel said the lawyers were discussing a few things before the trial start, but Yoh and Hao could go back to Izumo, and if they were needed to testify, they would call their grandparents to let them know.

That`s right. Yoh and Hao were going back to Izumo… Today. In fact, Anna should be getting ready, since she offered to go with them to the train station and see them off. It had been a week since Yoh identified Denbat, and they`ve been packing since them. The old Inn that they had come to call home was completely clear now, all their things went back 4 days ago, and now all Yoh and Hao had to do was pack their clothes.

Oh God… Yoh and Hao were leaving today. Anna felt like crying. It was like her departure all over again. 7 years ago the three of them were separated because of her moving to Kyoto, and now… Now they were moving back to Izumo. How long would it take until they saw each other again? She knew they would still keep in touch, the two promised her they would call every night to talk, and invited her to visit them any time she wished. But it was not the same thing. She had grown so used to going to school with them every day!

Anna also knew she wouldn`t be lonely. Believe it or not, because of all that happened she ended up making friends with the people she avoided during all those years she lived in Tokio. But it still wasn`t the same. No one could ever replace Hao and Yoh.

Sighing, she finally got up from her bed and got ready. As usual she tied the red bandana Yoh had given her for her 5th birthday. She then grabbed the sacred necklace Kino gave her, when she explained the religion the Asakura family followed, and the reason why Yoh and Hao had to train so often. And then there was the plastic engagement ring, now too big for her finger.

Anna couldn`t help but smile as the memory of the day Yoh proposed came back to her mind. Sure, she forced him to do it, but it didn`t really matter. Proposing was prosing, and from that day on Anna would always refer to Yoh as her fiancée. 11 years have gone by and that did not change.

It was because of Hao`s training that they got so close. Hao was the more talented twin, and because of that he had to endure extra training. So Yoh and Anna would always be together while Hao trained. During the time they spent together Anna ended up falling for Yoh.

And she was almost sure he fell for her as well. Hao even confirmed long ago, when he told her that Yoh and her could never be together because Yoh would not want her to get involved in all this murder mess.

She couldn`t help but frown at that. Everything was over and now and Yoh still hadn`t confessed! If they were under any other circumstances she would understand him not telling her he loved her yet, after all, only a week ago he had to face the man who basically destroyed his life. She could wait. She could be patient. But they were going away today! Meaning it would be a long time before they saw each other again! So could you really blame her if she wanted to her the words "I love you" coming from Yoh`s mouth before he went back to Izumo?

Before Anna knew she was downstairs, eating the breakfast Ryu prepared with great care. Looking around she could see the patio. Looking down, Anna tried to hide her blushing cheeks from the rest Mosuke, who was there in the dining room with her. She remembered how many things had happened between her and Yoh at that patio.

To start, there was that embarrassing romantic dinner the servants in her house had planned. There were candles and music. Even one with the words "_Kiss the Girl"_ and they even got wine glasses filled with ice tea.

But that wasn`t all that happened that night. It was also the place where Yoh said he loved the star Anna more than all the others and could find her anywhere. And… And it was also the place where they almost kissed.

If only Hao hadn`t interrupted! That damn idiot! They were so close! So close! In less than a second their lips would have met but no… Hao had to appear! Was it just her or Hao had developed an awful habit of showing up last minute and interrupting Yoh and Anna`s moment? That wasn`t the first time he interrupted them, and it was certainly not the last.

But she knew that that time wasn`t an accident. He was watching them. He left that very clear when he told Tamao about their almost kiss during the party her parents threw. Tamao was crying, and that moment Anna really thought she would finally give up on Yoh. That incident also happened in the patio.

Yoh also called her his Anna that night.

So many memories in that patio. Anna had so many memories of those two idiots. They were all dear to her.

She was really going to miss them.

"Today is their last day in Tokyo, correct?" Mosuke asked, after a few minutes.

"Yes. Their train leaves at midday. They told me they would call me as soon as they arrived at the Asakura Mansion." She answered, not looking up from her plate.

"I see…" Pause "And how are you doing with that? Are okay, Anna-sama?"

"Why wouldn`t I be?" she asked "Denbat is going to jail, and Yoh is finally opening up again. Why wouldn`t I be happy?"

"Well… Because they are going away." Mosuke said "I still remember the day we left long ago, how much you cried. You`ll miss them."

"Just because I`ll miss them doesn`t mean I`m not happy." She said stubbornly. "I`m happy. Very much so. Never been happier in my entire life!"

"If you say so, Anna-sama." He then looked at the door. "Amidamaru is already waiting outside, so as soon as you`re done eating…"

"I know, I know." She said "I`ll be done soon."

And she did. As soon as she finished she walked out of the house, where Amidamaru was waiting for her with the car. She went in silently, and neither of them said a thing.

Has Anna ever said how much she hates time? When she wanted to get to their home fast, time slowed down. And now that she really, really, _really_ did not want to arrive there, it was going fast. Before she knew it they were less than three minutes away.

And the worst part is that traffic lights were not helping. She was hoping maybe today they were going to be red all the time like before but no such luck. They were all green. All the time.

More proof that time and traffic lights worked together to make her miserable.

They arrived at the house and she not surprised to find both twins at the doors, Hao holding two bags. They were chatting, and Yoh had a small smile on his face, one you could tell from a mile away it was fake. Why were goodbyes always sad? Why would they always be depressing?

She got out of the car, and looked at them.

"So…" she said in a cold voice "Are you two ready to go?"

"As ready as we`ll ever be." Yoh said, still smiling.

"You didn`t need to come here, you know." Hao said, looking at her.

"What do you mean I didn`t need to come here?" She glared at the two of them. "I`m seeing you guys off no matter what. Now get in the car."

And they did. They sat the usual way, with Yoh in the middle. It took a while before any of them spoke. Anna could see that they were both nervous, and to tell the truth, she was as well. What could they say in a situation like this? None of them wanted to say goodbye, but that was obviously what was in all of their minds.

_Goodbye_. Such horrible words. They brought so much pain.

"Can you do us a favor, Anna?" Yoh asked, surprising everyone inside the car. No one expected someone to say anything until the moment they left. It almost felt like they weren`t suppose to speak, because it would feel to awkward.

"What sort of favor?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Please, don`t kill anyone while we`re away." He said, smiling.

And that did it. Hao started laughing and so did Amidamaru. With that simple request the mood in the car changed completely. Even Anna felt like smiling. It was amazing what Yoh could do.

No wonder Anna fell in love with him.

"I make no promises." She said, smirking "I`ll be stuck with your stupid friends, and I can only take so much stupidity."

Hao laughed.

"I would wish you good luck, but knowing you, they are the ones needing the luck."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Anna asked, now glaring at him.

"Nothing." He shrugged "Nothing beyond the obvious. Anyone who knows you is aware that it takes a lot of effort not to piss you off."

"That is not true!"

"See? What more proof do you want?" The longhaired twin smirked victoriously.

"I do not get angry easily!" she then turned to the shorthaired twin, who was holding back a laugh while watching the two. "Do I, Yoh?"

Immediately Yoh stopped laughing and looked at his brother nervously.

"Well… hum…. M-Maybe…"

"Maybe?" she interrupted, her tone dark and angry.

"I-I-I mean! Hum… N-n-n…n…no…nooo?" he looked at Anna and then at Hao, who was laughing hysterically.

"You, otouto" he said, putting an arm around Yoh`s shoulder "Will need the most luck of them all."

"Why?" Yoh asked innocently.

"Because…" Hao said, moving his hand dramatically and prolonging the syllables "You two are going to be married! I told you since we were young that you got stuck with one horrible bride." He smirked when Yoh and Anna`s faces got red "I honestly feel sorry for you."

Anna was about to reply, when she heard Yoh chuckling lightly.

"Don`t be." He said, smiling sweetly "I`m happy when I`m with Anna. She is scary but… I`m sure I`ll be happy."

As if possible, Anna`s face got even redder. Did he… Did he just say that? Did he really said that? He said that he is happy with her? And… And from what it seemed, he liked the idea of the two of them married. It made her happy. Yet...

Why the hell couldn`t he confess already?!

Okay, it was decided. Even though her plan from the beginning was for him to confess his love first so then she could tell him she loved him as well, it looks like thing will not go that way. From what it looks like, she`ll have to confess and declare they were officially together if they ever wanted to get pass this "best friends in love with each other" phase and one day, a few years from now, finally get married.

Just great. Now she would have to do it. Anna decided that right after confessing and everything, she would kick his butt for not declaring his love before.

They would be officially together, but obviously they would not be the sweet, hugging, loving, pet names kind of couple. Oh no. Anna would shot herself before she ever got herself in that kind of relationship with Yoh. They wouldn`t be to showy either, Anna knew that. There was no reason to be displaying their affection in public. If Anna knew Yoh cared for her, and Yoh knew she cared for him, and as long as everyone kept their hands far away from her Yoh, what was the need to be like that? It may be nice every now and then, but in Anna`s opinion, it was sort of disgusting. Plus, the physical part of the relationship she thought it was way to personal to do it in public view.

She would have to tell him later the rules, including no kissing in public. Except if Tamao, or anyone who had their eyes on _her_ Yoh was around, then they would be so sweet that it would make their teeth hurt.

"We`re here." Amidamaru announced. "Are you guys ready."

Hao and Yoh both nodded, and Anna didn`t say anything.

They got out of the car, and Hao grabbed both their bags. It was the same train station in which Hao had left, when he went to visit Keiko and Mikihisa`s grave. Anna felt a sort of déjà vu, but this time Hao wasn`t the only leaving. And also instead of a week, she did not know how long it would take for her to see them again.

There was silence. While they waited for the train, none of them knew what to say. They were back to the situation in the car, when they did not want to say goodbye, but did not have any idea what else to say.

Anna looked around. There were a few people there, although she wondered how many were in the same situation as her. Not the "twins-came-to-Tokyo-to-protect-themselves-against-the-man-who-killed-their-parents-and-now-that-the-killer-was-identified-they-will-return-home" situation. She was thinking of the "saying-goodbye-to-your-two-best-friends-and-fiancée-for-God-know-how-long" one.

She couldn`t help but be afraid. She was sure they would see each other again, probably soon, but it still hurt. She wanted to have them close by. And although she knew she would not be lonely anymore, for she now had friends, right now… Anna could not help but remember the horrible feeling she lived with for 7 years, until they came back.

"The train should be arriving soon." Hao said, in a low voice.

"Yeah…" Anna confirmed. "What… What do you plan to do in Izumo."

Yoh smiled.

"We`ll probably continue being homeschooled. I don`t think normal school is for us." He laughed "Then… I guess our future is kind of unsure."

"Unsure?"

"We`ll definitely continue our training and become priests, like our parents and grandparents." Hao answered. "But like them, we also want to have regular jobs in the future."

"Ah…" she nodded "And what you guys intend to do?"

"Hao will probably do psychology!" Yoh answered smiling proudly "He already knows so much it will be easy for him."

"What about you?"

"Me?" Yoh asked surprised "I already told you, Anna." He smiled "I`ll transform this house we lived in for the past few months into a traditional Japanese Inn!"

"Yes, and I`ll live there with you two." Hao said "I have to take care of my little brother."

"He`ll be an adult by them Hao." Anna said "With me as his wife and a child. I think he`ll be able to take care of himself."

"I don`t care what you think." Hao said while throwing his hair over his shoulder "I`ll take care of my otouto until we one of us die."

"In order words, I`ll never get rid of you." Anna crossing her arms.

"Exactly." He answered, and both twins laughed at the face Anna made.

There was silence again. A few minutes passed and no one spoke. Anna surely wished that time wouldn`t chose this time to torture her. She wanted to spend as much time with Yoh and Hao as possible. She… She didn`t want the train to come.

But of course, all her desires were ignored. Before she knew it they were hearing the train coming in the distance, meaning soon Yoh and Hao would have to leave and find their place, where Yohmei certainly must have wasted a lot of money on.

"I guess it`s time." Anna said, standing up and looking at the two brothers, who were quiet.

Soon the train arrived, and people started going in. Hao and Yoh standed there, facing her. Again, the feeling came back.

They really did not want to say goodbye.

"I`ll…" Hao said, finally breaking the painful silence "I`ll be going. You have five minutes Yoh."

And surely, with that, Hao left, entering inside the train. Anna couldn`t help but feel a pain in her heart. Hao was now gone… And soon so would Yoh. But unlike 7 years ago she would not cry. She would not allow herself to cry, not this time, not in front of him.

"Say… Say hello for Kino and Yohmei for me." Anna said, avoiding his eyes.

"I will" Yoh said smiling "I`m sure they will like to hear you are well."

"I hope so."

"Anna…" Yoh started, after a pause. "I… I wanted to thank you. I... I have no idea if I would be able to go through all this without you and Nii-chan."

"Don`t be an idiot Yoh. You are a strong person. Of course you would."

"No… I wouldn`t." he shook his head "And… I`m happy that I got to see you. I really am."

"I`m happy too." Anna said, smiling slightly.

Ok, it was obvious he was not going to say it. Anna felt angry. He was really planning on leaving without confessing! How… How dare he?! She had been waiting for this for so long and he was not going to say it? Are you kidding? Is this some sort of cruel prank that fate decided to pull on her? Because if it is, it`s not funny. It really isn`t. She wanted to hear those damn words and she wanted to hear them now, before he left!!

And just like she thought, if she ever planned on hearing those words, she would have to say them first. Great, just great.

And to make things better, now she was blushing. And why the hell was her heart beating so fast? She knew she loved him for a long while now. She also have been preparing herself mentally for this moment for a long time, so her hormones should NOT be acting up.

"Y-Yoh…" great, as if the situation wasn`t embarrassing enough. "I… I have something to say to you…"

"Oh, you do?" he asked, smiling too innocently "What is it?"

"I… I…" just say it already! Come on, it`s not that hard! "I…"

"Yes…?"

"I…!" but before she could blurt out those words, she felt something soft in her lips.

It was quick, lasting less than a second, but it definitely happened. She felt it. For God`s sake, she saw his head coming close to hers! Yoh… Yoh kissed her! A quick, soft, peck on the lips, but still a kiss.

Yoh had kissed her. He… He had… In public! He had just kissed her in public in front of all these people! Great, the idiot just made the situation even more embarrassing. Anna seriously thought that it was not possible, but Yoh and Hao had that talent of proving Anna wrong.

He… He kissed her! Yoh… Yoh and her…. They… They kissed! It was…

"I love you Anna." He said, smiling, interrupting her train of thought. Was it just her or was this confession kind of wrong? Shouldn`t he be all red and his heart beating fast like hers? Shouldn`t it be all romantic? He said as if it was no big deal, no big secret. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"What?" she asked surprised.

"I said I love you." He repeated, still smiling. "And I`m going to miss you."

"You… You love me?" she asked "Why… Why didn`t you say it before?"

"Why…?" Yoh asked "Well… Because I wanted to see you all red while trying to tell me you loved me. I thought it would be cute, and I was right."

"You… You knew?!"

"Of course I knew." Yoh said, surprised she asked "You`re not very good at hiding things Anna."

Her face must be redder than an apple by now.

"I need to get going." Yoh said, looking back at the train "Or else it will leave without me." He then looked at her and smiled once again, but with some sadness "I`ll miss you."

"I…"

Before she could finish her sentence, he ran to the train. As she saw that, she snapped out of her trance and ran up to him.

"Wait!" she said "How long have you known that I loved you?"

Yoh looked at her and smiled. All the passengers were inside and the train door was closing, leaving Yoh on the inside and Anna on the outside. But before closing completely and before the train left, Anna could faintly hear his answer:

"Next Question."

**And it`s over!! Not officially, since there will be an epilogue probably by the end of this month, but still! This is the final chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed this fanfic as much as I enjoyed writing! Almost a year of Silent and I can`t believe it is over!**

**Now, about Marcus… I have great news! He is back! Yes, this chapter was written on him, meaning all my files were saved! *thanking God, since I had an unpublished fanfic of 20 something pages written in here, and if I lost the file, I would lose the fanfic***

**I`m realy thankful to all of those who followed this fanfic until this very end! At the end of the epilogue I`ll have a list with the name of every single person who sent a review (not doing at this one because… Because I want to publish today and to do that will take to damn long)! I`m really thankful to everyone, and I`m happy everyone enjoyed the story! I have to say I had a lot of fun reading the reviews, especially the ones that threatened me. XDDD Yes, I have a twisted sense of humor. XD**

**But even though Silent was a good experience something bad came out of it: Too much pressure for my next fanfic! _________ God, how can I suppress 170 pages, 260 reviews, 7787 hits, 2 C2, 45 favorites and 45 alerts?! How the hell am I suppose to follow that?! I know already the plot of my next two fanfics but after Silent… Crap, I`ll fail… It will suck… It`s going be horrible… Failure… Die… **

**This chapter was fun to write because mainly my plan was to go back to all YohXAnna moments of the fanfics to write this chapter. I had to reread many of them! It was fun! My favorite I think was chapter 6, when Anna finds out about the sleeping drugs!**

**Please, review! Tell me what you thought! REVIEW, next chapter will be your last chance!!!**

**I`ll miss the reviews. T_T**


	20. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Anna opened her eyes, feeling the sunlight passing through the window. Her first thought was to go back to sleep. But then she realized: How the hell was the sunshine entering the room? There were really heavy curtains in those windows, that she had put up especially so this won`t happen!

"Come on, wake up Anna!" A voice said, rather cheerful. Too cheerful in her opinion. "It`s a beautiful day out!"

"Hao..." She said, glaring at him dangerously "You bastard. What the hell are you doing in my room?"

"How rude!" The eldest twin answered "Besides, this is not your room alone! Now you are denying me the right to enter my little brother`s room? What if he can`t sleep?"

"Then I, his _wife_, will beat the crap out of him until he sleeps." She said, in a dangerous tone. "Now answer my question. What are you doing here."

"Breakfast is ready." answered "Hana and me spent the entire morning preparing a good breakfast. So wake up my sleepy brother and get downstairs. Horo-Horo and Ren said they are going to take care of the Inn for today. So no worries."

"Fine… Now leave!"

"Won`t you get up?"

"We will… As soon as you leave our room!" And with that she picked up a pillow and threw it at him.

"Fine, fine. I can take a hint." He said, walking to the door "But be ready, our train to Izumo leaves in three hours."

"Whatever." She mumbled, her head now towards the mattress, where the pillow was suppose to be.

Asakura Anna turned then to the side, meeting the face of her sleeping husband, Asakura Yoh. A small smile appeared in her face, as she remembered how much their lives had changed since that good bye, 12 years before.

Yoh and Anna continued to talk through the phone, and every now and then the twins would come to Tokyo, to visit Anna and the rest of their friends. That continued for about a year, until they all finished High School, and Yoh and Hao moved to Tokyo to start college.

That is when they started sharing a house. Oh, but not just the three of them, like Anna had hoped. _Everyone_ moved into the old Inn Yoh and Hao had lived when they were hiding from Denbat. That includes the stupid ainus siblings, Tamao, Manta, Ren, Lyserg and Chocolove. Plus the three of them. They were all going to attend college at Tokyo, and someone had the brilliant idea of sharing one place, this way they would become more independent, but at the same time, because they would be sharing expenses, it wouldn`t cost too much.

If only Anna could remember which one of the idiots came up with that brilliant idea, she would send them straight to hell, floor number 666. That`s what living with all them was like: Hell. They had enough rooms for all of them, but that didn`t make things okay. For starters: Anna and Yoh had no privacy. None. Even with Anna having her own room, somehow they could never find one minute alone. Sure, they went on dates every now and again, but that still didn`t make things better. Mostly because everyone followed them, making it way too embarrassing.

But at 21 things got better. They were all graduating, so most of the people eventually moved out. Manta was the first, taking over his family`s business, he moved to the United States, controlling the Oyamada Technology Empire from there, with the help of his father. Pirika was the second one to move, with a degree on environmental biology, she went back to Hokkaido so she could help the plants there. Tamao moved next, to Anna`s happiness. She was discovered one night, at a Karaoke, and became a singer. Yes. Tamao became a singer. Anna was shocked. That shy pink haired girl was now one of the most successful Japanese singers of all time. Life is really ironic.

Then Chocolove moved. He wanted to become a comedian, and felt like the only way to do that was to move to the comedy capital of Japan: Osaka. Lyserg was next, moving to England in order to study more. He had just recently got back, and worked along with his father as a detective.

Soon there were only five people in the house: Anna, the twins, Horo-Horo and Ren. It stayed like that for some time, actually. Even after Yoh and Anna got married, the same year they graduated, Anna with a degree in finances and Yoh with one in arts, the other three remained in the house. And even after Anna got pregnant, soon after their honey moon, which yes, Hao did follow them to the hotel, they continued to live there.

Hao had become a forensic psychiatrist, and like expected, continue to live with Yoh and Anna. Ren was studying to become a lawyer, his mentor none other than Marco, the same car repairman who was once a lawyer and owned the garage where Yoh almost got killed. Ren just recently moved out, owning an apartment in Tokyo, living with his wife, Jeanne, Marco`s adoptive daughter, and their little son, Men. He and Hao became great friends and worked together with Lyserg and Detective Liam.

Horo-Horo also had a degree in environmental science, like his sister, but unlike her, he wanted to stay in Tokyo and help the environment in that crowded city. He felt like Tokyo still needed a lot of help, and he would do whatever he could to save the ecosystem of the gray city. But to Anna that translated to: I`m too lazy to do house work and own my own place so I`m just going to crash with the Asakuras until forever. And that is what he still does. He lives with them. Even though his girlfriend, a friend of Pirika from Hokkaido who everyone called Damuko, lived miles and miles away, he still said that the Inn was his home.

But that didn`t excuse him from Anna`s number one rule: If you live in the Inn, you have to work in the Inn. She opened that place right after Tamao moved, before her marriage. She and Yoh used the money they were saving, and the help of all the idiots who once lived there, to reform the place, and soon it became a decent living space. And now, 8 years after the opening, while she dealt with mostly the financial part of the business, Yoh, Hao and Horo-Horo dealt directly with the customers, with Hana helping out as he got older.

Today Anna couldn`t be happier with the way her life had turned out. It took some time, and they all struggled a lot, but now they all lived a happy and calm life. It was not a normal life, but one calm and happy just the same. Sure, some things could have turned out differently. Denbat was the first thing that popped into her mind.

Amazingly, he was ruled not guilty. It shocked everyone, even because Marco, the prosecutor, had done an amazing job at the trial. No one understood what happened. How could they have ruled not guilty? It made no sense! But that`s what happened. Apparently the defense attorney said that the identification Yoh had made in the police station could not be used. Why? Because Detective Diethel had showed him a picture of Denbat some time before, asking if that was the man attacked him. According to the defense, because of that early identification, the one in the police station would not count.

It still didn`t seem a good reason to everyone else. Even the judge was surprised. It was so suspicious that Ren, Hao and Lyserg were investigating what happened during that trial, to see if anyone had received a bride. After all, Denbat was one rich man. What would have stopped him from buying the jury? Or even threatening them, considering the made weapons for living?

But as right now, Denbat walked as a free man. Because he couldn`t go to trial again, he stopped bother Yoh and Hao. Right now he lived somewhere in Europe, far away from his past in Japan. But Hao, Ren and Lyserg were at his tail, paying attention to his every move and doing an investigation. They promised they wouldn`t stop until Denbat was behind bars.

Another thing that Anna couldn`t stop but wonder is the fact that, even after everything, Yoh still couldn`t face his parents grave. The four of them, Anna, Hao, Yoh and Hana, went to Izumo every year during the anniversary of their deaths, but Yoh never actually stepped inside the cemetery. He would refuse, the guilt being too much for him to take it. Even Hana went to pay respects to the grandparents he never met. When little, he would often ask his father why he wouldn`t go with them, but Yoh would just smile sadly, saying he didn`t believe his parents would want to see their faces.

Hao said Yoh probably couldn`t bring himself to face because Denbat was still free. Yoh felt guilty because he couldn`t stop the man from killing his parents, and years later Yoh still couldn`t help them, not being able to send that same man to jail. Yoh felt like he failed his parents, twice, and that was why he couldn`t face their graves.

That was what they were going to do, actually. Today they were going to Izumo, all four them, and visit Mikihisa and Keiko`s graves. They were hoping that this year Yoh would be able to pay respects along with the rest of them.

"Yoh…" Anna called, trying to wake up her sleepy husband. "Yoh, wake up. Hana and Hao made breakfast."

"Five minutes Anna…" mumbled the man, without opening his eyes.

"No, wake up now!" she said, now pulling their blankets out of the bed.

"Argh!!" Yoh then woke up, and looked at his wife "Why did you do that?"

"So you would wake up." She then stood up and went to the door "Get dressed with the clothes Hao separated for you yesterday before packing our bags, then go downstairs to eat with the rest of us."

With that said, Anna herself headed down. The Inn was separated in two halves. The front part was the one where the customers stayed, and in the back it was almost like a separate house, where they could live privately.

"Ohayou…" Anna said as she stepped into the kitchen, seeing her brother-in-law setting the table, and her son in the table, waiting for his parents.

"Mom!" the blonde 8 year old boy said, lifting his head from the table and opening a huge smile

"Finally the sleeping monster woke up." Hao said, putting the steamed rice on the table. "And where is my beloved brother?"

"Getting dressed." She then sat down by her son`s side, and patted his head. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yep." He said, frowning and adjusting his hair "When we`ll be leaving?"

"As soon as we finish breakfast."

"Which will start when your father gets down." Hao answered, sitting down. "Ren, Jeanne and Men should be arriving around midday. Horo-Horo will take of everything."

"Are you sure we can let Horo-Horo take care of the Inn?" Hana asked.

"Don`t worry Hana-bozu." Yoh said, smiling and sitting down next to his wife and brother, right in front of Hana. "Horo-Horo is responsible."

"Since when?" he asked, half laughing.

"That`s a good question." Anna said, smirking.

"He can be responsible."

"Luckly Ren and his family will be here too, so they can keep the blue haired idiot in check." Hao said "And Lyserg said he would try to come by and help out."

"Then we should be okay." Yoh smiled, taking a sip of his morning tea.

The rest of the morning went normally, just like 12 years ago. Hao and Anna fought, and Yoh made cute remarks and Hana watched the argument, betting on who was going to win. Today he had betted on Hao… And he won. They were having a discussion about something that Anna couldn`t quite remember now, and Hao brought up the times when Anna would get all red in front of Yoh… And that of course, made Anna even redder in front of her husband and son.

After eating Anna changed and met the others outside. Waiting for them was none other than Amidamaru. He still worked for Anna`s parents, just like Mosuke, but he often came to pick Hana up and drive him to school. Right now he offered to drive them to the train station.

He and Mosuke were the only ones still working for Anna`s parents. Machi, Mari and Kanna now worked for the Inn, and so did Ryu, becoming the Inn`s personal chef. They were all really over protective of Hana, even more so than Anna`s own parents.

"Hana-dono, how are you doing?" asked Amidamaru, as he looked at the young boy who took the front seat of the car. "How is school?"

"Why do you ask that?" the boy asked frowning "School is school! It never changes. It`s always boring and boring and…"

"I agree." Yoh said, laughing.

"That`s because you are lazy." Anna said "And you are making our son be lazy too. I don`t want that."

"I`m not lazy! I just get easily bored!"

"And that doesn`t excuse you from sleeping in class."

"Yeah… yeah…" Hana said, crossing his arms.

For the rest of the car ride they talked happily. Hao, Hana and Amidamaru talked among each other, mostly Hao and Amidamaru teasing Hana. Anna sometimes joined in, either defending her son like the over protective mother she was, or teasing him as well, like the Anna she was. But Yoh stayed quiet during the entire ride.

Anna noticed that the closer they got to the station the quieter Yoh got. It was like that every year. Yoh would be fine with the yearly visits, but once it finally arrived he would be nervous and quiet, just like he was 12 years ago.

And now was no exception. During the rest of the car ride and during the train ride he also said nothing. Anna wanted to ask him about it, but at the same time she knew she couldn`t start a conversation about that in the middle of the train. Yoh would never speak about that in front of Hana. He didn`t even want the young blonde to know about what truly happened that night and through the years that followed. He was pretty upset when Anna and Hao told Hana the truth. Yoh couldn`t face his son for a long time after that. He was too ashamed, too scared that little Hana hated him now for letting his grandparents die.

But Hana then faced him. He yelled at him for being such a coward and thinking such a stupid thing. He said that no matter what Hana would always love his father. Then he called him an stupid idiot, just like Anna would have. Yoh was so moved that he hugged the little boy and cried for a long time.

That did not mean that he felt comfortable talking about it though. In fact, it was almost an unspoken rule to never talk about what happened all those years ago. At least not in front of Yoh. He wouldn`t be like before, certainly he got better, but it still felt awkward. You could see in him he didn`t want to talk about it.

But it was needed. Anna knew that she needed to talk to Yoh about that if she ever wanted him to face his parents` grave. She was his wife after all. She needed to talk to him.

And she did. Once Hana fell asleep and Hao left them alone to eat something, Anna looked at Yoh, at first quietly.

"You are giving me that look." Yoh said, smiling, his son lying on his lap "What do you want to talk about?"

"You." She answered "And your parents."

"Oh…" Yoh said, his smile disappearing "You want to talk about _that_."

"Yes. I want to talk about that." Anna sighed "Yoh, it`s been 19 years."

"I know." He said, looking at the window.

"Don`t you think your parents would want you to pay respect to them?"

"I know they would."

"Then why don`t you?"

"Why?" Yoh sighed "Would like to see the person who caused your death and your assassin to be free paying respects to your grave?"

"No." pause "But I would like my son to."

He then turned his look to Hana.

"I`m not asking much Yoh. You don`t need to stay much. Not even say a complete prayer. I just want you to face them."

"It`s not that simple."

"Yes it is." She insisted. "Think about it Yoh! Put yourself in their place! How would you feel if Hana didn`t visit your grave?"

Yoh`s eyes got wide, and he looked at his son. His eyes softened, and for a second Anna could see he was considering. She didn`t like it that she had to use their soon to make her point, but if that was the only way to go, then she would do it. She was sure Hana would forgive her.

"You are a parent now Yoh. You can understand it better. Wouldn`t you have done the same for Hana? Wouldn`t you sacrifice yourself in order to save him?"

"Of course I would." He answered "For my son… I would do anything."

"Would you blame him?"

"Never." Yoh smiled slightly "Hana… Hana is my source of happiness. Without him, I would be lost."

"So what makes you think your parents are any different?" she looked at him, serious "How do you think your parents feel knowing you feel this much pain? Knowing that you won`t visit them?"

He didn`t answer.

"They love you Yoh." Anna said "They love you very much. And I think… I think it hurts them a lot to see you like this. And to know you are too ashamed to visit them. Especially because they don`t blame you for anything."

"I…"

"Yoh." Her voice was firm now, making him look at her "Please. Just go visit them. If only for a few minutes."

"I… I don`t know."

And they left the conversation there. Not because Anna didn`t want to pressure him. No, she would have continued on until he said that he would pay his respects for sure. But Hao was back and somehow it didn`t feel right to continue that conversation.

A few hours later Hana woke up again. He looked up at his father and then out the window, smiling when he recognized they were only a few minutes away from Izumo. Yohmei and Kino would be waiting for them at the train station, and together they would all walk to the Asakura Mansion. Kino had forced Yohmei to prepare a huge feast, and tomorrow, the anniversary of Mikihisa and Keiko`s death.

They got to the station 20 minutes later, and Hana went out running, ready to greet the two elders of the Asakura Clan. They had a nice relationship, only Hana sometimes complained about the training he had to do. Just like Yoh, Hao and eventually Anna, Hana was required to do spiritual training. Yoh and Hao became priests when they were around 18. Anna was still in her training, and was expected to complete in 3 years. She would become an itako, just like Kino.

Hao was the second one to leave the train. He wanted to accompany his brother, and let Anna follow Hana, but Anna left the message very clear for the older twin. Yoh was thinking, and it would be better if he stayed alone for now. He wasn`t happy with that. Not one bit. But if it could help his little brother, Hao would do anything.

The greetings were happy. Kino was kind towards everyone but her husband, just like expected of her, and Yohmei yelled at Hana for being too carefree and lazy.

"You`re getting just like your father!" he said "And that is not a good thing!"

Hao, contrary to what he used to do, would join in the teasing, going on and on about how his baby brother was a lazy moron. But of course, those words were accompany by smiles and a huge brotherly hug.

"Anna" Kino said "During this week I want to test your abilities. I hope you have been training."

"Yes, Kino-sensei." Anna said, smiling "Everyday."

"Yeah, and she makes me do it too." Hana frowned "And then you wonder why I sleep in class!"

"As long as your training is in order, I don`t really care about your grades." Yohmei said.

"Don`t say that. He may take you seriously." Anna frowned in disapproval.

"I am serious." Yohmei said, turning around and walking. "Now come on boy, we have a lot to do."

They all walked out of the station, Yohmei, Kino and Hana in the front, followed by Hao and then Anna. Yoh, again, walked behind everyone, quiet, not saying a word. He seemed lost in his little world, not even stopping and noticing the park where he had proposed to Anna, both when they were kids and when they were 20.

The conversation probably had the affect Anna wanted it to. She wanted him to think long and hard about it. Maybe it was a bit harsh of her but… But part of her felt that unless Yoh had that final push he would never be able to visit his parents grave.

She only hoped he would be able to one day be completely over everything.

"Anna." Yoh called, in a low voice, so only she could hear.

She stopped and turned around, only to see Yoh had already stopped, and was looking to his right, in the direction of the cemetery.

"Yes…?"

"I… I`ll go for a walk." He said, looking down and then back up, with a smile. "I may return a bit later… Can you… Can you let them know for me?"

All she could was smile at the man she loved.

"Sure." She said "See you at dinner."

"Yeah… See you later."

She then turned around and continued walking, following her family, the Asakura family.

Yoh sighed as his wife kept walking, and then turned to the direction he was looking at earlier. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, before half turning and walking in that direction.

The sun was setting and no one was out. The shadows seem longer and the sky orange. It was just like a drawing Yoh had done, not too long ago. He liked to think that the beautiful and peaceful scenery would do something to calm his nerves, but the truth was it didn`t help at all. His heart was beating so loud he was sure his family could hear from where they were.

Part of him wanted to just turn around and go back, deciding to postpone this until tomorrow. But the other part of him, the stronger one, that seemed to be sleeping up until a few minutes ago, and was still waking up, did not let him back down. He needed to do this. Just to visit them. Just see their graves. And he needed to do it alone.

He owned his parents that much.

The walk seemed to go through hours, but he knew that in fact it lasted less than 10 minutes. He continued to walk until finally he met the gate of the cemetery, the same gate he had stood in front of at least 19 times, waiting for whoever was inside to finish their prayers.

Well, today was his turn.

Another deep breath, he entered the place and walked to the place he knew his parents would be resting. Two grave stones, side by side, the names of his parents engraved on them.

A sad smiled appeared in his face as he knelled down, so he could face the two eye to eye.

"Mom… Dad… It`s been a long time."

OWARI

**YES! It is officially over! One year later I finish Silent! Finally! I hope everyone liked this 10 pages epilogue and the entire fanfic as much as I loved writing it! I had a lot of fun! And soon I will be publishing my two next multi-chapter fanfics (as soon as I`m done with a birthday fanfic and a one-shot I`ve been working on since August. XD)**

**I`m happy with how this fanfic turned out, although I do wish I could have done some things different. There is definitely room for improvement. XD **

**Silent ended with 180 pages (almost two hundred! O___O), 20 chapters and, not counting this, 84,402 words and 280 reviews (hundred more than the number of pages. XDD This, of course, not counting the ones from this chapter. The one with more reviews was chapter 12, with 26 reviews… I wonder why. XDD). Silent had 8, 950 hits, 2 C2s, 47 favorites and 45 alerts!!! =DDD I`m so happy!! T_T And I feel the pressure for my next fanfics… TT__TT**

**The following people reviewed my fanfic at least once, and I`m even more grateful to all of ****you! (especially RavenAK, Besarki, Felipe Asakura and Isah, who are great friends of mine! Thank you for the support! And also thank you to yehey, ****Mwrangytha****, ****elpatolocosisi****, ****Animewitch17**** and djxa who often reviewed and I loved all of them! Also thanks to ****, the first person to review Silent!!! And Nightglider-star and MiSs LiSsI LisS, I`m fan of both of them. XD)**

**monica, RavenAK, Besarki, anime lover, Pearla, Felipe Asakura, Virginia, yehey, totalamuto, djxa, zaza98able, lily, Misa.D, Nightglider-star, ****complicatedmind21****, ****elpatolocosisi****, ****M. Fragance of Winter****, ****, ****SagaMoon****, ****MiSs LiSsi LisS****, cassey, Isah (you changed your pename AGAIN?!), ****psychobubbles**** , NightShroud, Roni-chan, Timcanpy, ****LibertyBell.047****, ****DRAGONFIRE563****, ****jade destiny****, sarah, ****TehPockii****, ****Chibasnoopy****, Sapphires of the Snowy Islands, ****RevesCasses****, complicatedmind21, ****ATM****, asakura+kyoyama, ****happy-smiling-cookie****, ****Animewitch17****, ****Lolita07****, ****AlessaSM****, ****Mwrangytha****, ****shadowneko003****, ****Amika-Kyou****, ****elSarah****, meg, ****Latias 24****, fluffy, ****majrocks****, O_o, Mysterious person who did not write anything to identify him/herself, telly, rotflol162, ****gielib****, ****aifos3****, ****chiharuSAICHI****, ****Rosimae****, xmegaminoaix, loveroach, ****Kaydreams****, ****midnight-blue24****, ****Pachi****. **

**Thanks to all of you!!!! =DDD (I told you that I would do it! Spent a long time looking through 19 pages of reviews, but it was worth it!)**

10


End file.
